A Milwaukee Brew
The Milwaukee Board of Election got caught rigging the game.
It’s about a recall petition that succeeded, was certified, then decertified without cause, then re-certified after outraged citizens complained.
Petitioners targeted Milwaukee Alderman Michael McGee, whom they accuse of various misconduct. I can’t speak to the allegations. But it looks like the recall effort was duly conducted. The necessary signatures were gathered. The petition was certified. A recall election was set for February 20.
Didn’t happen. Instead, the Milwaukee Board of Election groundlessly rescinded their own certification. It was particularly galling to petitioners because even after the board had illegally struck signatures, enough signatures remained to certify.
And the state election board played along with this all this anti-democratic nonsense. As Citizens for Responsible Government, a local watchdog group, put it, the state board thus “abused its power, violated state statutes, and created a simple procedure by which any politician can disqualify a certified recall regardless of how closely the petitioners have followed the law or the number of signatures collected.â€
Contemptible. But with pressure from Citizens for Responsible Government and the Recall McGee people, in the end the Milwaukee Board reversed its reversal and a new election was set for April 3. McGee survived the recall. But much more importantly, the right to recall survived.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
