Kloppenburg Losing Ground In Wisconsin Recount

Above video of Waukesha County recount by Tracey Pollock

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg is falling further behind as the state does a recount of the votes in her close election contest with Supreme Court Justice David Prosser.

Prosser had been comfortably ahead in the polls until Governor Scott Walker attempted to pass an anti-workers’ rights law in Wisconsin. Prosser has been closely aligned with Walker. The law, like Prosser’s future is in limbo as courts decide its fate.

On election night it appeared Kloppenburg had pulled an upset winning by a scant 200 votes. Two days later the clerk in Waukesha county said she had mistakenly forgot to include 14,000 votes in the total. The additional ballots gave Prosser a 7,316 vote victory.

With 12% of nearly 1.5 Million votes recounted Prosser has widened his pre-recount lead by an additional 33 votes. As common with recounts, both candidates have picked up more votes (Prosser 71, Kloppenburg 38) as hand counts of the ballots turn up votes the optical scanners failed to detect. Unlike Minnesota which also uses optical scanners, Wisconsin does not require a regular audit of its scanners to determine how well they are working.

The recount has been finished in 20 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. At this rate the recount will probably not be finished until May 9th. After the vote totals have been certified, the loser of the race may appeal to a judge appointed by Wisconsin’s Supreme Court. It is assumed that Prosser would not participate in that decision.

“This election was decided three weeks ago” Says Prosser’s Proxy

Video by Tracey Pollock

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser is “confident” his 7,300 vote margin of victory will stand despite a recount says one of Prosser’s representatives.

“This election was decided three weeks ago” says Brian J. Nemoir, President of Full Impact Communication.

The recount requested by his Prosser’s opponent Joanne Kloppenburg started Wednesday. Kloppenburg lost the election by a margin of less than .5 percent.

Kloppenburg Volunteers Seek Accuracy In Wisconsin Recount

Video by Tracey Pollock

Darcy Gustafson (first) and Lisa Muxloothy speak about why they chose to be volunteers overseeing the recount process for the 2011 Wisconsin state supreme court elections. Both are volunteers with Joanne Kloppenburg’s campaign, who had called for the recount after losing the election by less than a .5 percent margin to incumbent Justice David Prosser.

Kloppenburg Cuts Prosser Lead By 147 Votes On Day 1 of Wisconsin Recount

Day one of Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election recount yielded a steady stream of small gains for trailing candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg, but so far not at a rate that will vault her past David Prosser. Kloppenburg cut Prosser’s 7,316 vote lead to 7,169 votes…a gain of 147 for Kloppenburg. About 10.8% of the vote has been recounted. The UpTake’s recount spreadsheet.

The UpTake sent reporter Tracey Pollock to Waukesha County to observe the process. If you recall, Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus failed to report 14,000 votes on election night, leading Kloppenburg to declare victory with a slim 200 vote margin. Once the ballots were included Prosser had a 7,000+ vote lead.

Because of that controversy, Nickolaus recused herself from duty on the recount. Instead, Judge Robert G. Mawdsley was appointed to oversee the recount in Waukesha County. Judge Mawdsley discusses the recount process and the progression thus far.

Game On! Wisconsin To Recount Supreme Court Election

Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board confirms that the JoAnn Kloppenburg campaign has asked for a recount in Wisconsin’s close Supreme Court race.

“The Government Accountability Board is prepared to move forward with a statewide recount of votes for Supreme Court Justice, as requested by the Kloppenburg campaign today. We have been preparing for a recount since Election Night. We have assembled an internal team to direct the recount, we have been in close consultation with our county clerk partners, and have arranged for legal representation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. We anticipate the recount will begin the week of April 25, and plan to hold a teleconference meeting for county clerks on Monday afternoon.”

What happens next when there’s a Wisconsin recount.

If There Is A Wisconsin Recount, What Happens Next?

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenberg has until 5pm today to request a recount in her very close race with incumbent Supreme Court Justice David Prosser. While the margin is close enough for the state of Wisconsin to pay for the recount, Kloppenberg still has to decide if she wants to put herself through what could be several months of legal action and whether she and her supporters have enough money to pay the legal bills of the lawyers that will be needed in the fight. Legal fees for the 2009 US Senate recount in Minnesota ran close to $10 Million for each side and the principle lawyers from that fight have been retained by Kloppenberg and Prosser for this fight.

Should Kloppenberg decide to press ahead you’ll see a process somewhat like Minnesota’s recounts, but with some significant differences. … Continue Reading

Press Catches MN GOP Using Debunked Ballots In Trunk Story

Minnesota State Republican Senator Warren Limmer says Minnesota needs a photo ID voting law. As evidence, Limmer referred to a story from the 2008 election that has been debunked by politicians of both parties as well as the press.

Senator Limmer claimed that two days after the very close 2008 US Senate election between Al Franken and Norm Coleman that a box of ballots was found in someone’s trunk. The story has been repeated by other Minnesota Republican politicians, including former Governor Tim Pawlenty. But now after numerous stories showing the story was false, even Pawlenty admits the story isn’t true.

The press called Limmer on that during the news conference. Limmer did not say if he knew the story was false before he repeated it.

Governor-Elect Mark Dayton Gets An Election Certificate

More than a month after the election, Governor-Elect Mark Dayton is officially certified as the winner of the Minnesota Governor’s race.

Governor-Elect Mark Dayton's Election Certificate Signed By Secretary of State Mark Ritchie

Governor-Elect Dayton Thanks Labor Supporters

Minnesota Governor-Elect Mark Dayton thanks supporters at a labor meeting in St. Paul. Dayton said his 8,770 vote victory would not have been possible without labor’s support. Earlier in the day, Dayton was certified as the winner of the 2010 Governor’s race when Republican Tom Emmer conceded.

Dayton, who will be appearing with Governor Tim Pawlenty at a news conference Thursday, questioned Pawlenty’s assertion that the state’s $6.2 billion deficit is “fictional”. And said Pawlenty’s promise of no new taxes was a myth. Dayton pointed to rising property taxes as evidence.

“Now The Real Work Begins”-Governor-Elect Dayton

Democrat Mark Dayton says the election that has chosen him as Governor of Minnesota and elected a Republican majority in the Minnesota House and Senate had a message. He believes the collective wisdom of the electorate is that they want part of what each party has to offer.

“If we try to make each other look bad, ” said Dayton “we will fail the people of Minnesota.”

“Now the real work begins” said Dayton when asked what happens next.

Dayton said Republican candidate for Governor Tom Emmer called him at 10:10 AM to offer his congratulations. The two will have lunch this week.

Dayton is recruiting for positions within the administration and expects to make announcements about them soon. He says until now he has not been able to offer out positions.
Mark Dayton’s remarks- transcript
… Continue Reading