It’s the other “R” word in this historic year of Wisconsin politics: Recount. If recall election vote totals between Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Democrat Tom Barrett are within a 0.5 percent margin, a free recount can be requested. The apparent loser can ask for a statewide recount, or recounts only in specific counties. Most polls give Walker margins-of-error leads over Barrett, whose supporters say their own surveys show the race is tied. With only 2 percent or 3 percent of poll respondents saying they are undecided, a recount is possible. We’ve seen this recount movie before. Only 13 months ago.
On April 5, 2011, a first set of returns appeared to give challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg a slim victory over incumbent Supreme Court Justice David Prosser. It looked like a stunning upset. But, after the first statewide recount in modern Wisconsin history, Prosser won a new 10-year term. Out of 1.5 million votes cast, Prosser’s final margin was 7,000 votes.
The Government Accountability Board predicts a vote total of between 2.5 million and 2.8 million Tuesday. In November 2010, Walker beat Barrett by 124,638 votes out of a total of 2.13 million votes both received. GAB Director Kevin Kennedy said his agency, and local clerks who conduct elections, know that a Walker-Barrett vote recount is possible. “We’ve dusted off the plan from last time,” Kennedy added. “We probably weren’t thinking about it as much last year as we should have.”
Full Article: Second statewide recount may decide Tuesday’s recall — GazetteXtra.