Three Racine women can now register voters in the Village of Caledonia, after two of them filed complaints with state’s Government Accountability Board regarding Village Clerk Karie Torkilsen's initial refusal to certify them as special registration deputies.  The women, Jane Witt, Nikki Aiello and Kathleen Laru, were sworn in by Torkilsen on Friday morning.

Under state law, any voter can register fellow citizens to vote as long as they have been sworn in as a special registration deputy. To become a deputy residents must receive special training. Up until last year a citizen could receive that training through the GAB, which would then certify them to register voters throughout the state.

Witt and Laru filed complaints against Torkilsen after seeing a letter from the GAB that said an elector may file a complaint against a clerk who refuses to train them to be a deputy or appoint them to be a deputy. 

Journal Times: Following complaints, Racine women now deputized to register voters in Caledonia

_When three Racine women wanted to register voters in Caledonia, they were told they couldn't by Village Clerk Karie Torkilsen.

Now, two of those women have filed complaints with the Government Accountability Board and a third will likely be filed this week.

Over the past few months, Nikki Aiello; Jane Witt, chair for the Democratic Party of Racine County; and Kathleen Laru had already been certified and deputized to register voters in the City of Racine, and the village of Mt. Pleasant and Sturtevant. But on separate occasions, they each went to turn in their applications to Torkilsen, who allegedly refused to deputize them when they came into Caledonia Village Hall.

Witt said she requested to be sworn in early January.

“(Torkilsen) said, ‘I don’t want everyone registering people all over the place, I don’t have control over this process’ and she refused to swear me in,” Witt said. “I was floored."

Mt. Pleasant Patch: Complaints Over Voter Registration Filed Against Caledonia Clerk

As for who Wanggaard might face in his recall election, there isn't a list of names yet from Racine County Democrats.

"We don't have an official announcement yet," said Racine County Democratic Chair Jane Witt. "Once we have 15,000 accurate signatures verified by the GAB then we will make an announcement, but until we have official word that we're having an election, it's not time to start naming names."

Caledonia Patch: State Sen. Van Wanggaard Responds to Recall Signatures

RACINE COUNTY — The Democratic Party of Racine County elected new leaders Monday, including a new chairperson.

The new chairwoman is Jane Witt, a retired Journal Times employee. Witt beat out Racine Alderman Eric Marcus for the chairperson position in a 167-4 vote of party members, according to Jeff Van Koningsveld, the chairman until Jan. 1 when Witt formally takes office.

Other newly elected leaders taking office Jan. 1 include:

• First Vice Chairwoman Julie Krautkramer, a teacher.

• Second Vice Chairman Jeff Coe, a former Racine alderman.

• Third Vice Chairwoman Beth Pramme, who ran Mayor John Dickert’s campaign.

• Secretary Diana Kovacs, a nursing student.

• and Treasurer Joe Cushing, who is retired, according to Van Koningsveld.

_MADISON — After more than two months of petition gathering, Democrats turned in over one million signatures to recall Gov. Scott Walker, and more than 24,000 to recall state Sen. Van Wanggaard, recall organizers announced Tuesday.
Read more: http://journaltimes.com/news/local/more-than-one-million-signatures-collected-to-recall-walker-and/article_50206754-4141-11e1-b42a-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1jpi1yyYz