Legislative committee eyes changes to election rules

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Source: La Crosse Tribune

MADISON — Republican leaders are considering a move that could make it easier for Gov. Scott Walker to fight off a potential recall election in January.

The Legislature's rules committee ended its meeting Tuesday without voting on two new Government Accountability Board (GAB) policies dealing with changes in technology and vagaries in the state's new photo voter ID law. But the committee's co-chairwoman said she heard enough testimony to warrant further investigation and possible action in the near future.

Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Wauwatosa, said nothing she heard during the three-hour meeting allayed her fears about the new policies by the state's election watchdog agency. Republican leaders say the rules endanger "clean, fair elections across the board in Wisconsin."

But Democrats on Tuesday accused Republicans of running interference for the governor and trying to suppress voter participation.






Read more: http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/state-and-regional/article_eb978ff2-e9c4-11e0-96ef-001cc4c002e0.html

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1. The bottom line is to make it harder for Walker to be recalled.

A new law gives the governor the power to decide the fate of emergency rules. Walker could refuse to act on any new rule proposed by GAB, which Democratic committee members said could allow him to stall any recall efforts against him.

"We all know who is in a position to worry about being recalled," said Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee. "You may have fooled yourself, but you haven't fooled me. You are trying to allow the governor to decide whether or not he can be recalled."

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2. By relying on code as its base, Wisconsin left itself wide open to takeover by Walker.

This is what happens when you don't encode the important stuff in the constitution (like executive powers!)