Wisconsin's Gov. Walker faces recall vote

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will face a recall vote June 5 after officials in Madison cleared the way for an election Friday, and Milwaukee's mayor declared his candidacy.

The Government Accountability Board, meeting in the Capitol, unanimously found that petition signatures seeking the recall of Walker and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, both Republicans, met the standard.

Walker, 44, whose opposition to unions touched off public fury, may become the third U.S. governor to be recalled from office.

The results mean that after a year of conflict marked by large and noisy demonstrations, votes to unseat an unprecedented nine lawmakers and millions in television advertising, the state known for progressive politics will get down to deciding whether to throw out the governor.

Staff attorney Michael Haas, saying the examination of the signatures was "not a task we relished," said 900,939 were valid, well above the 540,208 required to authorize Walker's ouster election. He said there was no evidence of fraud, although 26,115 names were struck, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Adolf Hitler.

The board, a nonpartisan panel of retired judges, took about 20 minutes to receive and consider the recommendations that its staff made Thursday.

A primary to determine opponents for those facing recalls will be held May 8.

Protests erupted in February 2011 after the governor and the Republican-dominated Legislature imposed collective bargaining restrictions on most public employees. Labor officials accused the state of union-busting, while Republicans said the limits would help local governments stay solvent.