Important rules to keep in mind when collecting signatures
To recall Governor Scott Walker and Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, we must collect 540,208 signatures in two distinct
petition drives. Understanding the requirements of circulating petitions and certifying valid signatures is critical to
ensure that volunteer efforts and signatures are not wasted. The guidelines below can help you understand what is
expected for recall signature gathering.
Circulators:
A “circulator” is a person who witnesses and collects the petitioner’s signature or signatures on a recall petition. A
circulator can be any eligible voter in the state of Wisconsin.
1. Must be over 18 years old,
2. A U.S. citizen or national,
3. Not a felon still serving a sentence,
4. Been a resident of Wisconsin for at least 28 days.
You DO NOT have to be registered to vote to be a petition circulator, only eligible.
Petitioners (aka “Signers”):
A “petitioner” is a person who signs a petition in one of the ten numbered spots, affirming that they support the recall of
Scott Walker from the office of governor (and Rebecca Kleefisch from the office of Lt. Governor on a second petition).
Any eligible voter in the state of Wisconsin can sign petitions. These are the same requirements for being a “Circulator”
(see above). A petitioner does NOT need to be a registered voter to sign—only eligible to vote in the next statewide
election. An ID is NOT required to sign the petition.
Circulating Guidelines:
Circulators can circulate freely in public and on public property; they may circulate on private property with permission.
They may also canvass door to door, as collecting signatures is organized political activity—NOT solicitation.
Ask if the person has already signed a petition. Duplicate signatures will not be thrown out but only one can be counted
toward the recall. Encouraging duplicate signatures may complicate the efforts to tabulate the number needed but if
the person is uncertain, they may sign a second petition without penalty.
The Circulator must personally witness each of the signatures on the petition. You may not leave recall petitions
unattended on a table, in a lounge, on a bulletin board, etc. and ask people to sign. You must be present when each
person signs the petition. You may not use school property (copiers, computers, phones, email, etc) to assist in the
recall efforts. Do not obtain signatures or perform recall activities during contract time.
A person can serve as both circulator and signer—i.e. they can witness their own petition. This means that someone
can download the petition from the website (
Splash2) sign it as both a petitioner and circulator, and
mail it in.
Obtaining a Valid Signature
Each valid petitioner’s signature requires four pieces of information on the petition:
1. A signature or mark made by the signer
2. A viable house number and street address, or rural route (Note: PO Box addresses without a home street
address will be disqualified)
3. A MUNICIPALITY of residence in the state of Wisconsin (i.e. where they vote, which may not be the same as
where they get their mail).
4. Ensure that the box is checked indicating whether the municipality is a City, Village or Town.
5. The signature must be dated within the 60‐day collection period
Certifying the Petition
After you have obtained the signatures, review the information for accuracy and completeness. If you discover errors in
your review, first ask the petitioner to make the correction. If the petitioner is no longer accessible, you can make
corrections to the information on the petition EXCEPT for the “Signatures of Electors” section. If a change is warranted,
the correction should be initialed by the Circulator. Only the circulator of the petition can make corrections to the
information if it is found to be in error or incomplete.
Before the petition can be counted as valid, you must complete the Certification of Circulator section at the bottom of
the petition. By certifying the petition, the circulator acknowledges that he or she is aware that falsifying the
certification is punishable under §12.13(3) (a), Wis. Stats.
Failure to correctly certify the petition will result in the disqualification of all signatures on the petition. This is very
important!