May 23rd Wisconsin GAB Announces It's Official - Three Republicans Will Have Recall Elections July 12th

 From the Government Accountability Board:

The Wisconsin board that oversees elections has rejected most challenges to recall efforts targeting three Republican state senators. The Government Accountability Board's action on Monday clears the way for recall elections on all three on July 12.
The recalls target state Sens. Dan Kapanke of La Crosse, Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac and Luther Olsen of Ripon.

From the Wisconsin site Ballot News:

From the Wisconsin site Ballot News:

Details sparse for May 23 GAB meeting regarding Wisconsin recall signature challenges

 MADISON, Wisconsin: This is the first in what will eventually be a daily installment covering the recall elections in Wisconsin.

The next key hurdle for the recall campaigns are the May 23 and May 31 Wisconsin Government Accountability Board meetings. At these meetings, challenges to the signatures for Sheila Harsdorf (R), Dave Hansen (D), Randy Hopper (R), Dan Kapanke (R) and Luther Olsen (R) will be heard before the six-member board.
Recall papers were first filed in late February and early March for all 16 senators. Petitions were circulated and signatures have been submitted for 9 of the 16 senators. Should the signatures survive the challenges, that would lead to a July 12 date for initial recall elections. However, if ultimately a primary is required for any of the recalls, then that would likely take place on the July 12 date, pushing back the actual recall itself until August 9.
The state has indicated a desire to hold as many recalls in one day as possible, with July 12 being the preferential first date. However, if for example, three of the recalls require primaries but the other six do not, it remains to be seen whether all of the elections will still occur on July 12 or whether the main recalls will be pushed back to coincide with recalls that are having primaries. This is of course assuming that all legal challenges are thrown out and the recalls continue according to schedule, which is still unclear at this point in time.
Between 1913-2010 a total of 20 state legislative recall elections reached the ballot. The 20 recalls took place in five total states: California, Idaho, Michigan, Oregon and Wisconsin. Of the 20 recalls, 13 were of state senators (8 were recalled) and 7 were state representatives (5 were recalled). Thus, 13 out of 20 state senators were recalled by voters since 1913. The sheer fact that there are 9 possible recalls in Wisconsin alone in 2011 indicates the extremely rare and historically relevant nature of the events.

 Also from the Ballot News site about the three REPUBLICAN recall elections:

Hopper

Randy Hopper is one of six Republicans facing recall. He represents District 18. About 22,500 signatures to recall Hopper were filed on April 7, 2011. On May 9, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board verified 23,127 signatures, 15,269 were necessary to force a recall. Hopper has challenged the petitions. Jessica King (D), an attorney from Oshkosh, announced on April 13 that she would run against Hopper if a recall takes place.

Kapanke

Dan Kapanke is one of six Republicans facing recall. He represents District 32. 22,561 signatures to force a recall election for Kapanke were submitted to the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board on April 1, 2011. The signatures submitted to recall Kapanke were the first set of signatures submitted in the overall recall battle. On May 9, the Board validated 21,868 signatures on the petition, a sufficient number for a recall. Kapanke has challenged the petition’s validity. Democratic state Rep. Jennifer Shilling announced she would run against Kapanke if a recall takes place.

Olsen

Luther Olsen is one of six Republican senators facing recall. He represents District 14. About 24,000 signatures to recall Olsen were filed on April 18, 2011. On May 9, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board verified 22,381 signatures, 14,733 were necessary to force a recall. Olsen has challenged the petitions. Democratic state Rep. Fred Clark announced on April 21 he would run against Olsen if a recall takes place.