More than one million Wisconsinites have signed a petition to recall Scott Walker, representing the most-participated-in major recall effort in American history, and a number so significant that it is beyond any legal challenge. More then 845,000 signatures were collected for Rebecca Kleefisch. Signatures were submitted to the Government Accountability Board this afternoon.

The signatures represent the largest recall effort in the history of the United States and 185 percent of the signatures needed to trigger a recall of Walker.

“The collection of more than one million signatures represents a crystal clear indication of how strong the appetite is to stop the damage and turmoil that Scott Walker has caused Wisconsin,” said Ryan Lawler, board member for United Wisconsin. “Scott Walker and his supporters tried to demean and marginalize recall circulators, but in Wisconsin winter, an army of more than 30,000 Wisconsin born-and-bred recall volunteers took to street corners, malls, places of worship, dinner tables and sidewalks to take their state back.

The total of a million signatures to recall Scott Walker represents nearly half, 46 percent, of the electorate – and is just shy of the TOTAL votes received by Walker in his 2010 election (Walker received 1.12 million votes).

In comparison, this figure surpasses the per capita participation in the effort to trigger a ballot initiative in Ohio last fall against a Republican union-busting effort, where 32 percent of the electorate signed the petition, and in America’s only other two gubernatorial recalls, in 2003 in California and in 1921 in North Dakota, the signature totals were 23.4 percent and 31.8 percent, of the electorate signed respectively. The attached charts outline these figures.

Fun facts about the recall petitions of Walker, Kleefisch and the Senate recalls include:

The weight of all of the signatures collected is 3,000 pounds. That’s two of the heaviest Wisconsin Dairy (Holstein) Cows, or 158 of the heaviest Badgers.

300,000 pages at 14″ each laid end to end is 66.3 miles. This is the distance from Green Bay to Oshkosh, La Crosse to Tomah.

Stood straight up the petition pile is 128 times higher than the tallest building in the world.

Stacked on top of one another, the petitions would reach 125 feet high, which is taller than the wings of the Madison Capitol Building (those are 84 feet high).

United Wisconsin is the non-partisan grassroots organization heading up the recall efforts of Scott Walker and Rebecca Kleefisch in Wisconsin. The group plans to continue its work as the recall campaign moves forward.

We have made history!

• This people-powered recall movement is, per capita, the most successful in our nation’s history.
• The size of the recall means that a recall election is inevitable and that any challenge is futile. It is statistically impossible for any challenge of the recall to succeed.
• The recall victory represents a democracy in action and a triumph for working people standing up for their rights.
• There is a reason a statewide recall election has never taken place in Wisconsin-it’s difficult. But the rejection of Scott Walker’s unprecedented extremism fueled this movement, along with a strong respect for the shared values and ideals we ALL hold dear in Wisconsin.
• Facing intimidation, the holidays and other great hardships, the recall movement persevered together to secure this victory, despite several attempts to drive it apart.
• The recall movement comprised not just Democrats and progressives, but independents and Republicans who opposed Scott Walker’s radical agenda.
• Scott Walker’s defenders have no defense for his record and are now turning to attack
  the process of recall.
• We call on Scott Walker to drop any challenges and submit to the election called for by
  the people of Wisconsin. He is amply funded to state his case-so what’s he afraid of?
• The fact is that people in Wisconsin still respect the truth, respect worker’s rights, want a good education system and believe that everyone, not just the super-rich, should have a chance to make their lives better.
• We invite people to join us tonight at 5pm at the Monona Terrace for a recall party to celebrate our great achievement to recall Walker! Go to UnitedWisconsin.com for more info!