Calling out the phony outrage of voter fraud in Racine; prove it.

Taking the lead, One Wisconsin Now wants answers, and they want them now. Dragging this thing out in the press gives the advantage to right wing propagandists, muddying the waters around our  electoral system, and vilifying voters and poll volunteers, and generally establishing a history of "defending the vote."  

Patch: One Wisconsin Now issued a press release Friday turning up the heat on the Racine County District Attorney and the Racine County Sheriff to let people know what they found investigating claims of voting irregularities from the June 5 recall elections. “Republican appointees and campaign contributors convening an ‘investigation’ of an election lost by a Republican, based on the complaints of a Republican activist, looks a lot more like a partisan shenanigans than a legitimate inquiry,” said One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross. “They owe the people of Racine County answers and they owe it to them now.”

Deputy District Attorney Tricia Hanson would only say a joint press release would be issued sometime Friday that addresses the investigation. The statement will be a coordinated effort between the DA's office, the Sheriff's office and the county clerk. "A press release will be sent out sometime today," she confirmed.

The release from One Wisconsin Now calls out the DA and the Sheriff for dilly dallying because of their support for Gov. Scott Walker and Republican Van Wanggaard, pointing out that very few cases of voter fraud have ever been substantiated.

"The GOP continues to perpetuate the myth of widespread fraud despite similar investigations failing to uncover any. In 2008, for example, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen conducted a much-heralded investigation and found all of 14 improper votes out of the 3 million cast," the statement continues. "But this is what happens every election: baseless allegations by the Republicans claiming voter fraud that are proven time and time again to be complete and total lies.”

Lehman wins again, in recount, but that's not good enough for Republican thug Van Wanggaard.

The tortured recount will never end if Racine Republicans and Tea Party brownshirts continue to intimidate poll volunteers and local residents. I couldn't resist re-posting this creative picture at the Siren's site, showing a few Republican investigators questioning liberal terrorists.

Check out the whole bizarre story, and the lengths these thugs will go to kill the public's faith in anything. No one is closer to the story in Racine than the Siren.

I heard Scott Walker say that he would not call a special session with the Democratic senate, because Democrats won't agree with everything they would cover. 

Republican Special Interests and Campaign Donors called in to investigate Wanggaard loss in Racine.

While the right wing in Wisconsin can't get over a few signs in the yard of a prosecutor in the Walker/John Doe investigation, put there by his public employee wife, they're just fine with putting campaign contributors in charge of a witch hunt over allegations of voter fraud in Racine. The allegations are the result of a well coordinated conservative media campaign to call into question the election process and dirty tricks by minorities as seen by partisan Walker "poll watchers." 

One Wisconsin Now's Scot Ross can't help but point out the obvious:

Noting the glaring conflicts of interest of the Racine County District Attorney, an appointee of Gov. Walker and campaign contributor to Sen. Wanggaard, and the Racine County Sheriff, a financial supporter of the local Republican Party, One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross called on both officials to immediately recuse themselves from any investigation of local GOP complaints involving the recalls elections of Gov. Walker and Sen. Wanggaard.

One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross asked, “Is this Hazzard County or Racine County?” He continued, “Local officials with glaring conflicts of interest and cozy relationships with the losing candidate conducting ‘investigations’ of high minority voting population polling places that voted overwhelmingly against them looks a lot more like the Jim Crow-era South than modern day Wisconsin.”

In addition to publicly endorsing Sen. Wanggaard’s election, campaign finance records maintained by the State Government Accountability Board reveal the Racine County District Attorney contributed to Sen. Wanggaard’s campaign as recently as last month in addition to earlier financial support. The Racine County Sheriff is on record donating to local GOP politicians and the Racine County Republican Party.

The Racine City Clerk’s Office has reported that at both voting locations at which the GOP has lodged complaints about new voter registrations, the number of new voter registration forms in their files matches the number of new voters who registered and cast votes.

Ross noted that Sen. Wanggaards’s recount request today, publicly acknowledged by top GOP officials as having no chance of altering the outcome of the election...

I liked this response as well...

State Senate Democratic Committee Executive Director, Zac Kramer regarding the recount in the 21st Senate District: “We are disappointed that Senator Wanggaard’s last act as a senator will cost the tax payers of Racine County tens of thousands of dollars. It’s ironic that after all the talk from Republicans about moving Wisconsin forward, they contradict themselves once again by these relentless political games.” 

Racine County Republicans biggest friggin’ whiners and losers. Could somebody find their pacifier?

What a bunch of authoritarian crybabies. Not happy with a wildly partisan flip in government, political attacks on unions; labor; teachers and firefighters, now they want their 21^st senate district seat back because the boundaries have changed. Aw, poor things. You’ll notice the party is making the claim, and not one angry resident.

Caledonia Patch: Some residents who live in the new 21st Senate District didn't vote in the June 5 recall election and are now claiming they were disenfranchised, according to the Racine County Republican Party … county GOP Chairman Bill Folk said residents in parts of Racine and Kenosha counties feel a little cheated.

"Voters in the new 21st are truly disenfranchised because they didn't have the opportunity to cast a vote for who will represent them until 2014."

Big surprise?

An attorney for the state Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections in Wisconsin, points out that this process takes place every 10 years. "A lot of individuals are now being represented by people they did not vote into office," said Mike Haas. "Theoretically, the Legislature would have considered this when redistricting." … the law said it would only apply for those conducted "concurrently with the 2012 general election" in November. "The language is plain about when the new districts go into effect," Haass said.

Looks like more bad government from the party that hates it so much.

Day 7, Still no Concession for Republican Wanggaard!!! Bad Republican Loser.

For a Republican party carrying out the will of the voters, Van Wanggaard is suddenly not buying into that idea anymore. Remember when the recount for the State Supreme Court was described by Republicans as a complete waste of money and time? They’ve changed their minds now, on a senate seat they apparently have lost by 834 votes.  

jsonline: An official count Tuesday determined that Democrat John Lehman indeed won the Senate recall election in Racine, but Republican Sen. Van Wanggaard has yet to concede and is considering a recount, leaving the issue of Senate majority undecided …  the final vote tally is 36,351 to 35,517, yielding an 834-vote victory in Democrat Lehman's favor. Wanggaard is still considering whether to ask for a recount,  the cost will total $685.