Posted on 09/18/2014 6:14:06 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
WAUKESHA – The Republican Party of Wisconsin filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board on Wednesday in Waukesha County Circuit Court relating to the design of the ballot being used for the November 4, 2014, general election.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald filed the lawsuit on behalf of the party. The lawsuit was filed in Waukesha County because portions of Senator Fitzgerald’s district are located in the county. Both Vos and Fitzgerald are being represented by the Michael Best and Frederich law firm based in Milwaukee.
In the complaint, the party mentions that the Government Accountability Board adopted a new ballot format in May 2014 for the August 12th statewide primary and July 2014 for the November 4th general election. The new format of the ballot includes shaded bold headings for statewide, congressional, legislative, and county offices. Also, candidates are listed in the order of the Democratic Party first, Republican Party second, along with minor party and independent candidates. The old format of the ballot includes shaded headings for each individual office such as Governor and Attorney General. The Republicans allege that the new ballot does not have equal vertical spacing to differentiate between offices and no shading for individual offices.
The Brown County Clerk’s office issued a ballot to the GAB using the old format. However, the board denied the ballot for the November election saying that the county had to conform to the new format prescribed by the state’s elections authority. Brown County did issue a new ballot that conformed to the new GAB format. Wisconsin Republicans allege that voters will be less confused if they follow Brown County’s format over the new GAB format and that the new ballot format does not follow the law.
Wisconsin Republicans also cited in its complaint an US Election Assistance Commission study that advises that all candidates running for office should be given an equal amount of vertical space on the ballot form along with having the name of the office along with instructions being shaded on the ballot form. The Commission said this is designed to distinguish between the name of the office listed on the ballot and the candidates themselves. The Brennan Center for Justice has also issued similar studies calling for similar improvements to what the US Election Assistance Commission is recommending.
Another allegation raised by Republicans is that the GAB paid $19,000 to ballot layout expert Dana Chisnell for consulting services to create the ballot without notifying the GAB Board or the Wisconsin Legislature. Chisnelll is a registered Democrat.
Joe Fadness, Executive Director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin said: “As a result of either blatant partisanship or sheer incompetence, the GAB has created a standard ballot with inherent flaws that must be corrected immediately. It is a sad day in Wisconsin when we must go to court to fix a problem so obvious and troubling.”
Reid Magney, Spokesman for the Government Accountability Board, said that the Board cannot comment on the lawsuit.
Ballot design causes kerfluffle and lawsuit in Wisconsin.
FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.
-—more Demotraitor stuff designed to invalidate Scott Walker’s re-election-—
The Dems. in Wisonsin are going down kiccking and screaming. They ruled the roost for many years and still have a lot of their cronies controlling some County and State Offices, Courts and Regulatory Boards.
As I understand it, this ballot design includes the name of the Democrat directly under the ballot heading and the instruction vote for one — all included in a box. The, under the line of the box the Republican and other candidates are listed, as if they are for something else.
I just don’t get it because I always understood that the candidates were listed by Party with the Party in power listed first.
This change appears to be a deliberate attempt to undermine the upcoming election in favor of the Democrats.
And yet the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board is probably infested with DemocRATS.
You betcha!
Governments at all levels everywhere are polluted by criminal embracing Democrats.
We have a shirt here in Ozaukee County that says, “I recall that Scott Walker was elected twice”.
I think there are 9 members and 8 are Democrats — leftovers from the Doyle administration.
Democrats aren’t playing fair?
They’re tying to cheat?
Oh, my. I just can’t believe that.
They’re loving, gentle, inclusive, tolerant, diverse, multicultural and bi-partisan souls, after all.
The funniest line in the PBS saga — the Roosevelts — is FDR’s maternal grandfather saying, “Not all Democrats are horse thieves, but all horse thieves that I have known are Democrats.” Nothing has changed much...
Republicans are fortunate the democrat consultant didn’t have the names of all republican candidates printed in Farsi.
LOLOL!
“I recall that Scott Walker was elected twice.”
LOL! BUMP!
I’ve voted for him 3x now, will be doing so a 4th come November.
I couldn’t be happier. :)
Aha — they must mean the Party that won the last NATIONAL election? Bc the Republicans won the last STATE elections — twice if you count the recall.
Thanks for the pdf of the ballot. Except that the $20,000 Dem consultant (ballot designer) tells voters to “color in the oval” and she supplies rectangles. What a dunce!
This smacks of Florida’s butterfly ballot and hanging chads.
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