Gov. Walker recall petition signers names not released

MADISON, Wis., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Wisconsin officials say they're delaying posting on a Web site recall petitions against Gov. Scott Walker because of privacy concerns among petition signers.

Reid Magney, a spokesman for the state Government Accountability Board, said the board had decided against posting the petitions on its Web site Monday, as planned, after hearing concerns about a stalking victim who signed and others who did not want their names released, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

More than 1 million people signed petitions to recall Walker, almost twice as many as the 540,208 valid signatures needed, recall organizers said. The board is to determine by March 19 whether enough signatures were filed to force a recall election.

Copies of recall petitions against four Republican state senators have been posted on the board's Web site, and recall petitions against Republican Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch are being electronically scanned by the board, which plans to give them to her campaign this week.

The board has treated recall petitions as public records in the past and has done the same with nominating petitions candidates must submit. Making the petitions publicly available is meant to ensure the public can verify enough proper signatures have been gathered.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin told the board if it makes names of petition signers public, it should conceal the names of domestic abuse victims who want their identities kept confidential.

But Bill Lueders, president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, said the petitions should be public and signing a petition was a public act like signing a nominating petition for a candidate, not a private act like voting.

For someone with safety concerns, such as a domestic violence victim, he said the board could set up a process by which people could have their names or addresses concealed without keeping all the names private.