Wisconsin voters cast ballots yesterday to determine whether six Republican state senators should be removed from office. This is the latest chapter in what has been one of the biggest fights over collective bargaining rights in recent political history.
As of this morning, Democrats have won two senate seats. Jennifer Shilling (D) has defeated Dan Kapanke (R) and Jessica King (D) defeated Randy Hopper (R).
However, a storm is brewing over incumbent Republican Alberta Darling's seat, amid heated accusations that Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus is tampering with the election results. "Dirty tricks are afoot" said Mike Tate, Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Earlier in the evening, state Rep. Sandy Pasch (D) was ahead of Darling. The race has not been finalized.
The allegations of vote tampering originate from suspicions that a Supreme Court election held last April was tampered with. Initially, it appeared that challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg had won her bid against state Supreme Court Justice David Prosser, that is, until 7,582 uncounted votes were discovered in Waukesha. That race was also considered a referendum on the state's collective bargaining law.
The Democrats need three seats to have a majority in the Wisconsin Senate. Two more recall elections against incumbent Democrats are scheduled for next week. The voter turn out was strong, considering the elections are being held during the height of the summer vacation season.
Link to post in NYT
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