Groups hoping to recall Governor Scott Walker from office will be able to seek out petition signatures online. However, action by the Government Accountability Board on Wednesday is meant to make it clear that they will not allow groups to just print out petitions using databases.
GAB director Kevin Kennedy says the policy allows recall petitions to be printed out and signed by a single person, but only the person signing the petition can add in information like the name and address.
The clarification comes after Republican lawmakers raised concerns about mass mailings of recall petitions that could be generated by using voter databases. Kennedy admits is a tough issue to address, but people who suspect that has taken place will be able to file a complaint with the elections agency.
The issue was brought to the GAB by at least two people working on online petition forms for an upcoming recall attempt targeting the governor. Mark Balwinski of Racine has been working with United Wisconsin to design online forms. He says the policy will make it easier for disabled voters to fill out petitions from home and will also move along their efforts during the 60 days recall organizers will have to collect signatures. The recall effort against Walker is expected to launch on November 15th.
The GAB policy does not allow voters to fill out and submit recall petitions online. They will still need to be printed out, filled in, and then mailed to the recall campaign.
AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:24)
