State Senator Scott FitzGerald has submitted enough challenges to signatures to force a review. The Fitzgerald team claims that enough signatures are invalid to be able to halt the recall election. The group recalling Fitzgerald has submitted over 20,000 signatures, 4000 more than was needed. A common claim from Fitzgerald seems to be that droves of people from outside the district have signed. The Fitzgerald camp is clinging to the notion that many of the people who signed the petition either signed illegibly or illegally, making their signatures invalid.
Yet, an article from the Cap Times has exposed the tactics of the Senate Majority Leader. According to the article, names and addresses that have been challenged as invalid, are actually 100% legitimate. Fitzgerald and his team claim they sent postcards to certain addresses, those post cards were returned as undeliverable, and so that must mean that the signatures are invalid right? Wrong.
It turns out Fitzgerald and his staffers are the ones with the literacy problem. A review of the postcards shows that they were either addressed to the wrong people, wrong address, or a combination of both. Some of the “errors” were just blatant. Here’s an excerpt from the article:
The very first challenged address (pg. 8) reveals three glaring mistakes made by the campaign. The postcard it sent out was addressed to "Arnold Sodill" of W857 Eipong Terrace, Wisconsin, with no municipality or zip code listed. In fact, the actual petition was signed by "Arnold Wodill" of W8571 Lake George Terrace, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
Similarly, the second postcard was addressed to "W10722 MLK Dr., Beaver Dam, Wisconsin." There is no such address, claims the Fitzgerald campaign. They are right; the address actually listed on the petition is "W10722 Mikard Rd., Beaver Dam, Wisconsin." That address does exist.
The fourth postcard is addressed to "116 River Circle," with no municipality or zip code specified. The person who actually signed the petition was a tad more specific. First, he put down his village of residence, Cambridge. And, if it even matters anymore, his address was "116 Ridge Circle."
How the Fitzgerald campaign derived the fictional address, "102380 Aghugo Ln.," from signer Frederick Stange is downright bizarre, given that Stange listed the same address as the person on the line below him, Mary Stange, who lives at 102380 Co. Hwy. W
In my opinion, this is an obvious attempt to stifle democracy and the voices of those who live in his district. What easier way is there to cast doubt on the integrity of the process than by making those false claims of fraud come true all by yourself? Luckily, our side doesn’t seem to go down that easily and someone did the due diligence. Attempts at subversion, like this, have already become common in Wisconsin. So, for any of you Wisconsinites out there that get in a conversation about the Fitz recall, remember this story. Remember how they tried to fraudulently cast aspersions on the recall process. Remember how they complained about how much these recalls would cost, and then how they went out of their way to waste GAB time and money. Just remember….then do you best to ingrain that sentiment into a Republicans head.