At least $650,000 will be needed by state election officials to cover the costs of handling petitions for Wisconsin’s upcoming wave of recalls, according to a memo from the state Government Accountability Board. But that estimate doesn’t include costs for local governments, which are expected to be in the millions statewide.
The election watchdog agency said it will need an additional $652,699 to cover recall expenses, including personnel costs, mainly from hiring and supervising about 50 temporary workers to review as many as 1.5 million signatures, renting additional office space, buying supplies and equipment and doing public outreach about the state’s new voter ID law.
Recall efforts are under way targeting Gov. Scott Walker, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and four Republican state senators: Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau, and Pam Galloway of Wausau, Van Wanggaard of Racine and Terry Moulton of Chippewa Falls.
The more than $650,000 in costs GAB expects to incur from handling recall petitions would be needed in addition to money the agency already is receiving, including about $950,000 for the year in base funding and another $1.8 million in one-time money to implement voter ID.
Full Article: Wisconsin recall election costs projected in millions | Appleton Post Crescent | postcrescent.com.