State Sen. Van Wanggaard Recall Election Would Take Place in Current 21st District

State Sen. Van Wanggaard has filed an official challenge against the signatures collected calling for his recall.

Democrats say they turned in 24,000 signatures when 15,353 were needed. To win his challenge, Wanggaard would need almost 9,000 invalid signatures, but that appears unlikely. He had until Feb. 9 to file his challenge documents (attached).

Still, there could still be a question over where signers have to live in order to be considered a valid signature. New district maps were drawn up last year and signed into law last August. Federal lawsuits are pending, however, questioning the validity of the new boundaries.

As it pertains to Wanggaard, the current 21st Senate District includes most of Racine County including the City of Racine, but the new 21st Senate District only includes a small piece of the city with most of Racine and Kenosha Counties (but not the City of Kenosha). Most of the City of Racine, parts of Mount Pleasant and Somers and most of the City of Kenosha would make up the new 22nd Senate District. The current 22nd is represented by Sen. Bob Wirch (D-Kenosha) who successfully beat a recall challenge last summer.

A story in The Journal Times points to a vote by the state legislature that puts recall elections prior to November 2012 in the old districts, but the Government Accountability Board will have to decide whether or not to allow signatures from citizens living in the new 21st District.

Former Sen. John Lehman, whom Wanggaard defeated in the November 2010 election, has announced he will run for his former seat in the event of a recall.