“He said if they looked too squiggly that could be construed as an extra signature and not a printed name,” Nelson said. “If you can make out your name, who cares if it’s squiggly?”

Rep. Jim Ott, R-Mequon, the author of the law, said it was meant to ensure the names of people who signed those documents are legible.

Ott said he agreed with guidelines on the matter issued by the GAB in mid-April, which stated: “If the filing officer can discern no part of the printed name, it should be deemed illegible and the signature should not be counted. If the filing officer can discern a possible name, but may not be certain of the exact spelling of the name, the printed name is deemed legible and the signature may be counted if otherwise valid.”

“If they’re following their liberal guidelines, I don’t see how they could (strike so many names),” Ott said.

Ott said he hadn’t seen specific examples of names being discounted, though he was suspicious about why 17 signatures on his own nomination papers were not counted. He still had more than the 200 minimum requirement for running for Assembly.

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.