Number six: Robert Cowles (Green Bay).  Six down, two to go!

Number five is Alberta Darling (R-Milwaukee), the co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee!  A little over 20,000 signatures were required; around 30,000 were collected. 

Update: Volunteers and supporters can meet up here tomorrow. 

To put this in historical context: only 4 Wisconsin legislators have been subjected to a recall campaign since the right to recall an elected state official became part of the Wisconsin Constitution in 1926. Protecting this right was part of the progressive platform in the early 1900s to bring direct democracy to voters – along with referenda, direct primary elections, and women’s suffrage.

Today, residents in this district— a district that overwhelmingly supported Walker in November— will be filing the signatures to recall Sheila Harsdorf, a Republican who has held office (first in the Assembly, now in the Senate) since the late ’80s.

The times they are a-changin…

Volunteers from the effort to recall Republican Sheila Harsdorf are reportedly will be filing the signatures needed for her recall tomorrow!  Four down, four to go!

Signatures to recall Republican Luther Olsen will be filed with the Government Accountability Board today.

An outstanding diary from someone working to recall Republican Senator Alberta Darling.  linked above.

Today, organizers will file the paperwork to recall the first of the Republican eight: Dan Kapanke (La Crosse)!  Grassroots organizers collected more than 20,000 signatures in a mere 27 days, making it the fastest recall in Wisconsin history.  The grassroots group will turn in the signatures they’ve collected (at 3:30 p.m., 212 E. Wash in Madison if you want to witness history), and the Government Accountability Board will have 31 days to review them.  Kapanke can challenge any of the signatures during the first 10 days.  Kapanke said earlier this month that the recall efforts would not deter him from standing with the governor and voting to ban collective bargaining.

Seven more to go!  Get involved here: www.recalltherepublican8.com

On this date in 1954, a bipartisan, grassroots campaign to recall Senator Joe McCarthy began in Sauk City.  Over 400,000 signatures needed to be collected in just 60 days in order to force a recall.  Despite very few financial and organizational resources, the group was able to collect 335,000 signatures.  Although the recall effort was unsuccessful, the Senate voted to censure McCarthy later that year.

Help make history this time around.  Get involved.

Today’s must watch…

Scott Walker was elected Milwaukee County Executive in a recall election.  Listen to him talk about how important and patriotic recall elections are. 

That’s all we have left to collect the signatures required to recall the Republican 8!  All hands on deck.  Check out www.recalltherepublican8.com to get involved!  There are volunteer opportunities on weekdays and the weekend, work that involves interacting with a lot of people and work that is more behind-the-scenes…you can find something that works well for you.  You don’t need to give a lot of time; even an hour or two here and there can be tremendously helpful.

Your help is needed this weekend to help recall the Republican 8. 

On both Saturday & Sunday, at 10 am and 2 pm each day, people will be meeting in the following locations to help gather signatures:

Robert Cowles  (Green Bay/De Pere/Ashwaubenon)
1061 W. Mason St., Green Bay AND 132 South Main Street, Shawano

Alberta Darling (Milwaukee/North Shore suburbs)
2510 E Capitol Drive, Shorewood

Sheila Harsdorf (Hudson/River Falls)
800 Carmichael Rd., Hudson AND 321 N 2nd St, River Falls

Luther Olsen (Portage/Waupaca/Ripon)
813 W. Carroll St., Portage AND Waupaca Woods Shopping Mall at 825 W. Fulton St. AND 443 Scott St., Ripon

Randy Hopper (Fond du Lac/Oshkosh)
325 Trowbridge Drive, Fond du Lac, AND 748 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh

Dan Kapanke (La Crosse/Onalaska)
1307 Market Street, La Crosse

You can also check out my post (here) with brief answers to FAQs for more info.  Make your voice heard!

Please note: I do not have any info on organizing for Grothman or Lazich yet, but will update if I find out.

The effort to recall the Republican 8 got a little national attention! 

Very brief answers to some of the questions I’ve been hearing most frequently regarding the recall efforts:

• Why only these 8?  And why not the Governor? In WI., an elected official must be in office for 1 year before a recall can be initiated.  The 8 Senators (Darling, Grothman, Olsen, Lazich, Hopper, Cowles, Kapanke, & Harsdorf) have been in office for the required time period, but the Governor has not.
• What happens now? The initial paperwork was filed on March 3rd, and the requisite number of signatures must now be collected and filed with the Government Accountability Board within 60 days. 
• Do I have to live in one of the 8 districts in order to sign a recall form? Yes. You must live in the district of the Senator you wish to recall and be an eligible voter (note: you do not have to be registered to vote yet).
• How do I know if I reside in one these districts? You can find out who your representatives are here.
• How else can I help? Recall efforts require a tremendous amount of work.  A lot of signatures have to be collected in a short amount of time. Head over to this website to find ways to get involved. You can help out with the organization and administrative aspects even if you don’t reside in one of the districts in question.

If I missed something you have a question about, feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer or help point you in the right direction of someone who can help you out!

In Wisconsin, recalls can be used to hold politicians accountable once they are in office.  If you’re interested in learning more about the effort to recall 8 Republican Senators, check out the website www.recalltherepublican8.com.  Make your voice heard.