GOP plowing ahead with fascist attempt to stop elections. They scared.

Despite lots of national attention and disgust, it appears Scott Walker and the Wisconsin GOP are trying to proceed with their plans to avoid special elections in 2 legislative seats that have already been vacant for 3 months. And today we found out how the GOP would try to do it.

Under the proposed bill special legislative elections couldn't be held after April spring elections in even-numbered years and would have to be called by early December in the preceding year.

Moreover, there would no longer be statutory language directing the governor to call a special election on a specific timeline.

The proposal comes in response to a Dane County judge's ruling last week that Walker call special elections to fill two legislative seats that were vacated in late December. One is in the 42nd Assembly District, which includes the town of Dane. The other is in the 1st Senate District, which includes Door County....

Fitzgerald criticized the ruling last week as not taking into account the practical effects of forcing a special election in June when the Legislature has already adjourned for the year.

The bill language seeks to circumvent the judge's ruling, stating "this act first applies to a vacancy existing on the effective date of this subsection, notwithstanding any other law, court order, or order of the governor."

It is fascist and awful that the GOP's legislative leaders are attempting to invalidate a court order (which would touch off a constitutional crisis), and is doing so to prevent 230,000 Wisconsinites from being represented. But if you read the “amendment”, there also other changes to special election laws, as the Legislative Council describes.

Under this substitute amendment, no special election for the office of state senator or representative to the assembly may be held after the spring election in the year in which a regular election is held to fill that seat. Under current law, any vacancy in the office of state senator or representative to the assembly occurring before the second Tuesday in May in the year in which a regular election is held to fill that seat must be filled as promptly as possible by special election.

The substitute amendment also provides that the date for a special election may not be less than 124 nor more than 154 days from the date of the governor’s order calling for the special election and that the primary must be held on the day that is eight weeks before the day of the special election. Current law provides that the date for a special election may not be less than 62 nor more than 77 days from the date of the governor’s order calling for the special election and that the primary must be held on the day that is four weeks before the day of the special election.

Why would you want to have seats be vacant for MORE time, especially if the individual resigns at the start of a session to take a state job (as often happens when a new governor and/or party move into power), and the state budget is being debated? So in typical WisGOP fashion, they have to add bad details to an already-awful (and likely illegal) bill.

Original reports said that Fitzgerald was recommending the amendment route so that there wouldn't have to be any public hearings or committee votes on this "cancel the special election" bill. But apparently that was too deceptive even for Fitz, so now the Senate's Elections and Utilities Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday morning on the amendment. And no vote on the bill would happen in the Senate until at least Wednesday, April 4, which makes me wonder if that might be related to the outcome of the Supreme Court election on April 3 (as if you need another reason to vote for Rebecca Dallet over the stooge of Walker, WMC and the NRA).

So why are Walker and Fitzgerald and Robbin' Vos going through all of this? Seriously, why are they making even more people hate the Wiscoinsin GOP, in order to hold up seats that wouldn't cost the GOP their majorities even if they lost both elections? Why not just hold the elections and let the chips fall where they may?

Well there may be a second consideration in play, as Allegra Kirkland of Talking Points Memo floated this afternoon.

Why is the Wisconsin GOP going through such lengths to block 2 special election races, given that the legislature is no longer even in session? One theory I heard today: https://t.co/Omu6P6mIlZ pic.twitter.com/TZ3dQOETyj

— Allegra Kirkland (@allegrakirkland) March 26, 2018

If this is true, it underscores just how scared the Walker and the Wisconsin GOP really are these days. And given the underperforming, corruption-stained state they've left us with, they SHOULD be scared if elections are anything close to even.

Walker likely has an extra reason to be scared these days. In looking at the judge's ruling, Scotty has until Noon Thursday to call a date for the special election, and if he doesn't, then it's time to LOCK HIM UP FOR CONTEMPT. Let's see if Scotty is willing to sit in the joint for Easter Weekend for this. You know, like any other lawbreaking thug would have to do if he violated a court order. I bet the little guy would back down.

Let's also not let WisGOP legislators off the hook either. It only takes 2 GOP Senators or 15 GOP Assembly members to decide not to be part of this charade, and the entire effort to retroactively change state law blows up. Here's a list of phone numbers that you can dial to let your Senator or State Rep know that he or she is being watched, and if they try to pull off this illegal act, they won't have a job in the Capitol to go back to when the next regular session begins.