Michigan: Two Charlevoix city council members facing recalls

Two Charlevoix City Council members, Jill Picha and Bryan Vollmer, are facing recall petitions. According to the complaint, the reasons were open meeting act violations (in a meeting about a community fireplace), and failure to ensure violations of debris and trash. Apparently, the fireplace is the big issue in town.

Apparently, the meeting was advertised, but the petitioners have complaints about how it was advertised. Since this is Michigan (a political recall state), I'm not sure why it would matter.

The issue with the fireplace (which were only brought up after approval) is that  it would block views of the park and Round Lake and objecting to a projected cost of about $6,700 per year to operate.

This is the second attempt by the same petitioner to recall Roth -- the first was rejected for too vague language. The petitioner trying to recall Vollmer ran as a write-in candidate for mayor in November, on the issue of the fireplace. He lost by a nearly 3-1 margin.

California: Signature verification in Coastside Fire District recalls

Some details on the Coastside Fire District Petitions. Petitioners needed 2,714 signatures to certify. Petitioners collected 3,290 signatures for Mike Alifano -- 2,862 were valid. Of the 3,366 signatures for Gary Riddell 2,908 were certified. The 3,327 Doug Mackintosh saw 2,883 certified.

New Jersey: Petitions being filed against West New York Mayor

After a long wait, West New York Commissioner of Public Works Count Wiley is finally set to file a recall petition against Mayor Felix Roque -- it's been in the works since Roque's indictment in May. About 5,000 signatures appear to be needed to get the recall on the ballot.

Wisconsin: Challenge of La Crosse recall petitions shows Viterbo University as home to majority of signatures

Interesting twist in the attempted recall of La Crosse Common Council president Audrey Kader. Kader has challenged 153 of the 252 signatures (petitioners need 158 signatures). Apparently, 71% of the signatures came from students living on the campus of Viterbo University. Most of the signatures being challenge come from 702 Franciscan Way, the Viterbo University student union and the student mailing address.

Idaho: Middleton recall petitions fall short

The recall attempt against Middleton Mayor Darin Taylor missed the mark. After handing in 583 signatures, only 417 were found valid -- petitioners needed 519.

According to the Elections Office, 23 of the signatories lived outside Middleton city limits, three were duplicates and eight were not accompanied by a street address. In addition, 132 signatures belonged to people not registered to vote or not registered to vote at the time the petition was signed.

California: Coastside Fire Protection District Board recall petitions hit the mark, election to be held next year

Three Coastside Fire Protection District Board, President Doug Mackintosh, Director Mike Alifano and Director Gary Riddell, will be facing a recall vote in the new year. The petitions were certified as having more than the 2,714 signatures needed to get on the ballot. The county has to set an election between 88 and 125 days.

Issue is the decision to try and establish an independent fire department.

Michigan: Replacement vote for Troy mayor leading to serious state-local divide

The state Director of Elections is pushing Troy to hold its replacement race in February (as per state law), but the city is still claiming that they can wait till November.

I haven't seen the letters, but I can say that we've seen this state-local fight before -- this killed the Nashville mayoral recall. The end result there was that Nashville had to adopt a new law to come into conformity with state law. We would have seen a sure-fire lawsuit on a different type of state-city problem if the Oakland mayoral recall had gotten to the ballot. Knowing nothing of Michigan law, I suspect that the state has the upperhand in the fight.

The other relevant point (mentioned in the article) is that this could be another example of local officials trying to game the recall for their own ends. The replacement vote would end up costing the city $50K. But there has to be some consideration to the political implications of the decision. The ousted Mayor (a Tea Party favorite) had serious support in the city -- she lost a close vote on an Election Day that saw heavy Democratic turnout thanks to a presidential election. It is very possible that she or an ally could win at a poor turnout winter special election. We've seen this happen before in Michigan, and of course, we've seen many examples of officials trying to control the timing of recalls for their own ends. Not saying that it is the case here, but certainly has to be taken into consideration.

California: San Francisco Sheriff recall motion before Democratic County Central Committee withdrawn

The sponsor of a recall proposal against Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi has withdrawn the resolution before the influential Democratic County Central Committee. The article notes that the effort looks to be losing some steam. So far, no petition has been file

Louisiana: St. Bernard Parish President facing recall petitions from husband of fired former legal secretary

St. Bernard Parish President Dave Peralta is facing a recall threat started by the husband of a  legal secretary who Peralta fired after taking office. Petitioners would need 1/3 of registereds in 6 months).

The lead petitioner, Peter Rupp, also recently lost a runoff for a St. Bernard Parish Council seat by 16 votes last year and then unsuccessfully contested its results. The firing was allegedly due to Samantha Rupp giving her husband a passcode to get into the government building.

Colorado: Basalt Mayor facing recall threats

Basalt Mayor Jacque Whitsitt is facing a recall threat, though the reasons are unclear. The petitioner contacted the town clerk asking about the requirements for the recall, and stated that the petition would be presented at Tuesday night's town council meeting (it wasn't presented). Petitioner would need 190 signatures (25% of turnout). The petitioner has been involved in a previous recall attempt against county commissioner Mick Ireland, and has been in a fight with the city over his medical marijuana business.

Perhaps most critically, the petitioner is not actually a resident of the town. There's also this:

The only substantial controversy involving the Basalt town government recently was the parting of ways with police chief Roderick O'Connor. He resigned voluntarily on Monday, according to a joint statement that O'Connor and the town government released.

Maine: Limestone recalls set for January 8

Here's the earlier coverage. Three selectmen are facing recalls.

Florida: Culpeper County Republican Committee Chair loses recall

Culpeper County Republican Committee Chairman Steve Nixon was kicked out of office, 45-7. The vote was in August. The conservative wing of the party claimed that Nixon allowed Democrats to vote at the Culpeper GOP's mass meeting on Apr. 28, which resulted in his election by 3 votes. Al Aitken finished second, and replaced him in the recall.

Texas: El Paso recall petitions rejected by clerk due to technicality

The 500 signature petition to recall city Rep. Cortney Niland was rejected by the Municipal Clerk's Office.  The reason given was that each page was notarized instead of containing an oath "that each signature is that of the person whose name it purports to be." Petitioners need 385 signatures.

Former El Paso Mayor Ray Salazar is leading the recall effort, which is based on the council approval of plans to tear down City Hall and build a $50 million ballpark in its place.

Nebraska: Two Hamilton County Board recall petitions fail, one by two signatures

Attempts to recall two Hamilton County Board members failed. Petitioners handed in 154 signatures for the recall of Tim Bergen. They needed 147. Nine were struck down. 


The petition to recall Hamilton County Board member Doug Andersen wasn't turned in.

The Hamilton County Surveyor was the leader of the recall.

New Jersey: West Wildwood referendum may presage recall threat

Here

New Jersey: Asbury Park recall killed by city due to questionable deadline

The attempted recall of three Asbury Park Council members was quashed by the city, which claimed they did not have enough time to review the signatures to get the recall on the November ballot. The committee handed in the three petitions with about 2,644 signatures each, they needed 1,865. According to the city, the petitions specifically stated that the election would be held at the  November election. So, the petitioners would have had to go back out and collect enough signatures again to get it on the ballot. Note this as well:

Meanwhile, recall proponents said they had never received a deadline from the city. The day before the petitions were handed in, officials said the deadline was hazy because of the state statute governing municipal government recalls.

Missouri: Ellisville recall provision ruled unconstitutional for failing to state cause

After trying to recall five members of the Ellisville City Council, a St. Louis judge has ruled that the city's recall provision violates the state constitution because it failed to state causes for which an official can be removed.

Washington: Investigation into Snohomish County Executive on hold

An investigation into the alleged misuse of staff and a state-issued cell phone by Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon is on hold due to a backlog of cases. However, the recall hearing is set for December 5.

Oklahoma: Sand Springs lowers recall signature requirement

This is from March -- Sand Springs voted on a proposed law to lower its signature requirement from 20% of registered voters to 20% of turnout. The law was overwhelmingly approved with 69% voting in favor.

North Carolina: State rules that Ronda does not possess recall

The state board of elections has ruled that the town of Ronda does not have the authority to recall an elected official. Petitioners had handed in 76 signatures calling for the recall of Mayor Victor Varela. It sounds like the charter adoption was not handed that well:

Portions of the charter, with dates of 1917 and 1920, are handwritten. According to article V, page 225-226 of the town of Ronda Charter 1917, recall is allowed when 25 percent of the voters at the last municipal election sign a petition calling for the recall. The signatures must be filed with the clerk and must contain a general statement of the ground for which the removal is sought.

Varela, who is in his second term as mayor, said state officials say the town, does not have the authority to recall an elected town official. He says that a closer look at the charter demonstrates that a particular chapter or version for recalling elected officials was never chosen in 1920 when the charter was adopted.

He says the charter does not specify removal of public officers. The charter includes three plans or forms of government and no plan was selected.

Canada: Wildrose Party in Alberta still calling for recall law

Here

New Jersey: Mayoral appointment stirs claims of eliminating recall opponent

West New York Mayor Felix Roque's appointment of a new political aide is being criticized as buying off a potential recall opponent.

Louisiana: Three Gibsland Aldermen facing recall petitions

Three Gibsland aldermen, Timothy L. Cato, Katherine Mixon and Marketris Jones, are facing recall petitions. Petitioners need 273 signatures (40% of registereds) by January 28 to get on the ballot.

The mayor of Gibsland, Odell Key, was also facing recall threats. However, the three aldermen (and one other Alderwoman) regularly vote against Key.

Wisconsin: Waterford Sanitary District President kicked out

This one is from August -- Waterford Sanitary District President Bill Gerard was kicked out, 475-394. He was replace by the person who filed the petition, Dan Dickinson, who served a partial term as sanitary district president in the early ‘80s. The issues:

sewer rates have soared in the time since Gerard was elected as a commissioner in order to pad salaries and fund unnecessary projects. Gerard denied those allegations in an earlier interview. He said that fees were $83 per quarter when he came into office and went up to $120.

Michigan: Frequent filer targets four Flint school board members

Flint School Board member David Davenport, a frequent recall filer, has filed petitions to recall four other members of the school board, Ella Greene-Moton, Isaiah Oliver, Betty Ramsdell and Harold Woodson.


Last year, Davenport tried to recall two other school board members. The year before, he filed 16 recalls targeting the Mayor, the City Council President, Genesee County Clerk and others. Perhaps its not a surprise that he ran for Congress as a no-party candidate.

Here are the reasons that he is citing for the recall:

The reasons for the recall listed on the petition include "supporting the actions of the superintendent of the Flint Community Schools, by allowing the misappropriation of county funds, Title 1 grant funds, and violating district policies, that have allowed the Flint school district to go deeper in a deficit, in the amount of $6 million dollars."

Michigan: Troy City Council refuses to seek AG's opinion on date of recall

The Troy City Council voted at not to seek the State Attorney General's opinion on whether it needs to hold a special replacement mayoral election in February (as per state law) or if it could wait till November (as per Troy's charter).

The article notes that there is a chance of a lawsuit -- I'd put the odds at approximately 100%. Just guessing, but we've seen this play out in Tennessee, and there's probably a very good chance that the state law wins out.

Oregon: Clackamas County Commissioner recall fails to get the signatures

The recall effort against Clackamas County Commissioner Jim Bernard has failed to turn in any signatures. The leader, Dan Holladay, a former Oregon City commissioner, claimed that his partner got sick.

The issue was an alleged conflict of interest over the Portland-Milwaukie light rail extension, based solely on the fact that Bernard owned a business on the route.

California: Plumas Superintendent, School Board member resign in face of recall threat

This is from earlier in the year, but I missed it. Superintendent Glenn Harris and School Board member Brad Baker resigned in the face of recall threats. The third recall, against School Board member, Sonja Anderson seems to have never gotten off the ground.

California: Two Seville School Board Members facing recalls

Signatures have been verified in the recall of two members of Seville's Stone Corral Elementary School District, Reynold Esquivel and Rebecca Quintana. 71 signatures were verified, they needed 54. Looks like the recall will take place next year.

The two board members, who are a part of a three-member majority, had been the target of recall attempts since May when parents staged a walkout with their children following a tumultuous school board meeting.

Organizers behind the recall effort, which include a former Stone Corral school board member and the stepdaughter of the school district’s superintendent, charged that Quintana and Esquivel were “not operating on behalf and in trust of the people or children” and refused “to speak [to] or hear any of the parents due to the fact that they are not registered voters.” 

Parents and residents also raised concerns over a high volume of school board meetings that had been either rescheduled or canceled since the start of the 2011-12 academic year.

In all, the group collected 71 valid signatures in the Stone Corral Elementary School District voting area. To force the recall election, petitioners needed to collect 54 signatures.

Quintana and Esquivel did not return phonecalls seeking comment Tuesday afternoon. But the board has 14 days from its Dec. 15 regular meeting to schedule a recall election.

UK: Calls to expand proposed recall law to elected police commissioners

A debate about Police Commissioner Elections is already leading to calls to expand the not-yet-passed recall in the UK.

Kansas: Baxter Springs mayor resigns after split recall verdict

Following the November recall fight in which one Councilmember was ousted and two survived, Baxter Springs Mayor Jenifer Bingham unexpectedly resigned. Bingham was a supporter of the recall of all of the council members.

Controversy started in April, when Bingham named replacements for longtime City Clerk Donna Wixon and longtime police Chief David Edmondson. The City Council, on a 6-2 vote, rejected the appointments. Bingham placed Wixon on paid suspension and changed the locks at City Hall. Wixon has been back on the job after the council took action to restore her to her position.

Michigan: Legal questions surround Troy mayoral replacement race -- state law says must be held in February, City claims November

After its election day recall of Mayor Janice Daniels, Troy City Council members selected Dane Slater as its mayor. However, there is a discrepancy between city and state law. The City Charter says that the next election would be held in November 2013. State law demands it be held at the next regular election date -- February 26.

Further complicating matters is this:

If the city were to hold the special election in February, all applications would have to be in by 4 p.m. Nov. 26, Bluhm said, noting that's less than a week away.

Montana: Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes propose adding recall law

Members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are proposing adding the recall for elected officials.

UK: MP's appearance on reality show leads to renewed calls for adoption of the recall

A decision by UK MP Nadine Dorries to appear on a reality show "I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!" is leading to renewed calls for the UK to adopt the recall. The show was filmed in Australia and it seems like the condemnation is due to her ignoring her duties. More here.

Idaho: Petitions handed in against Middleton mayor

Petitioners have handed in 570 signatures in their recall campaign against Middleton Mayor Darin Taylor. Prosecutors have declined to prosecute Taylor for the allegations, which includes secret meetings, wasting taxpayer dollars and hiring unqualified people. Petitioners need 519 valids. If they meet the standard, they next possible election date is March 12.

Washington: Two Tenino City Councilmen facing recall threats

Two City Council members are facing recall petitions for, and the mayor is the subject of an investigation in scandal-ridden Tenino. Councilman Robert Scribner is alleged to have used the Department of Labor and Industries computers to allegedly dig up information on the mayor. Councilman Frank Anderson allegedly owes the city $140,000. Washington requires a judicial decision of cause, and a judge has allowed the Anderson petitions to go forward.

Also:

Mayor Eric Strawn was seen in a city police car with a woman in a Lacey parking lot. Witnesses said there was oral sex.  Police couldn't prove it and he is not charged with any crime.

Washington: Federal Court uphold ruling that recalls are not covered by $800 campaign finance limit

A federal district court has ruled that recalls are different than regular elections for the purpose of the state's $800 campaign finance donation limit. Here's the press release from the Institute for Justice and here's a copy of the decision.

Here are some earlier details of the case, and some criticism from me. This case suggests part of the difficult of categorizing recalls, and once more, the fact that they are ignored when drafting campaign finance and election laws, which results in serious problems in application. My main criticism with the theory proposed by the Institute for Justice is that since there is no candidate running to claim the office of the recall official (Washington law results in an appointment of a replacement, not an election), there can be no corruption. I think this is too much of a rose-colored view of how the recall works even in a judicial recall/malfeasance standard state like Washington.

The recall was launched against Treasurer-Assessor Dale Washam. It did not get on the ballot (they needed more 65,000 signatures and just missed ). Washam recently finished fourth in a primary for his seat.

Florida: Debacle in Florida voting leads to calls for recall of election supervisors

Due to the amazingly botched election in Florida, there are now calls for recalling election supervisors, notably the Lee County's Sharon Harrington. Florida has a malfeasance standard for county officials (no recall for state-level officials, though), but there is probably a very good claim of incompetence.

This article notes that the "petition drives never work." Based on what I see as Florida law, petitioners would need the signatures of 5% of registered voters, or (if my math based on the stats of the Lee County website is correct) close to 19,421 signatures

Wisconsin: Signatures handed in for the La Crosse Council President

Petitions were handed in for the attempted recall of La Crosse council president Audrey Kader, 252 signatures were given in, petitioners need 158.

Petitioners are a tea party group, who are targeting Kader's votes in favor of eliminating Committee of the Whole.

New Jersey: Jersey City Board of Ed members targeted in recall

Two members of the Jersey City Board of Education, President Sue Mack and Carol Harrison-Arnold, are facing recalls, possibly for their support of the new schools superintendent.
Petitioners need about 30,000 voters (25% of registereds).

Note this:

Successful recalls of school-board members are very rare in New Jersey, with a single instance in Salem County in 2004, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association.

Louisiana: Ringgold mayor recall petitions due Monday

Monday is the due date for petitions to be handed in against the mayor of Ringgold, Stephone Taylor. Petitioners need 391 signatures to get on the ballot. One of the issues is a novel one -- Taylor tried to get himself appointed police chief (though that was not possible).

Oregon: Editorial opposing Baker City recall

Here

California: Big Money backing the Mirkarimi recall?

See here for some discussion about financing. Recall would cost the city about $3 million.

Nebraska: Wayne County Commissioner recall stopped by judge

A November 20 recall scheduled against Wayne County Commissioner Kelvin Wurdeman has been stopped by a judge, as the petitions did not state whether the petitioners were volunteer or paid.

The judge held that the failure to include that language was “not a technical omission” but was a “material and substantial defect in the recall petitions involving the plaintiff.”

In the recall petition that was circulated, Hammer accused Wurdeman of removing dirt from one landowner and moving it “to another piece of property without talking to the landowner and getting permission.”

Louisiana: Failed backers of Gov and House Speaker recall face $1,000 fines for failing to file campaign finance report

The leaders of a failed recall petition drive against Governor Bobby Jindal and House Speaker Chuck Kleckley are facing $1000 fines for failing to file a campaign finance report within 45 days (they filed 56 days late).

Kleckley has asked that the ethics board that the fines against Calcasieu Parish public school teachers Angie Bonvillian and Brenda Romero, be waved. The two petitioners claim that they didn't know about the law.

The Republican Party spent over $100,000 combating the Kleckley recall effort, according to disclosure reports filed by the party.

Oregon: Baker City School District Recalls set for December 11

The recall of  Baker School District Chair Lynne Burroughs and director Mark Henderson will be held on December 11. The recall is based around the censure of board member Kyle Knight, which resulted in him being prevented from receiving confidential district information and from contacting district staff members.

Rhode Island: Pawtucket Mayor facing recall threats

Following a failed attempt to defeat Mayor Don Grebien's reelection with a write-in campaign, Grebien is now being threatened with a recall. Since he was just elected, Grebien has 3 months from the start of his new term.

Unions are leading the charge, with the primary issue bein Grebien movie to privatize trash services in the city, and claims that he will outsource any department.

Petitioners need 10% of turnout (about 2,200 signatures) in 60 days.

Washington: Two Quilcene/Jefferson County Fire District Commissioners removed

Two Quilcene Jefferson County Fire District 2 commissioners.Dave Ward and Mike Whittaker were apparently kicked out in a recall (though only 57% of the vote is reported).

The vote to kick out Ward was 483-312; Whittaker was 479-320.

 Ward has been in office for 12 years and Whittaker for 22 years.

Washington: Seattle School Board member recall stopped by Judge

The recall attempt against Seattle School Board member Sherry Carr was killed by a judge who ruled that the allegations did not meet the malfeasance standard needed in Washington.The allegation was that Carr voted for a memorandum of understanding to allow the district’s superintendent to waive school-board policies after saying she would oppose it.

Massachusetts: Bridgewater recall changes council balance of power

Here

Florida: Orange City Councilman facing recall threats for sending "disturbing" emails

Orange City councilman Tom Abraham, who was just censured by the council for sending "disturbing" emails  in his council iPad, is facing a recall threat from the man he defeated in the last election if he doesn't quit or apologize.

Emails Abraham exchanged with a friend last year included photos of women in public places, anatomical references and jokes, racially insensitive language and, in one case, referred to a neighbor and his 10-year-old as "this man and his daughter stripper." The Florida Department of Law Enforcement determined the emails were not criminal, but described them as "disturbing" and forwarded them to the State Commission on Ethics.

Petitioner needs about 140 signatures in 30 days. He also needs a showing of malfeasance, but due to the censure, it looks like that hurdle is cleared.

California: Sheriff recall movement sees success on Election Day

The Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi recall campaign received a large shot in the arm on election day. Several political consultants successfully targeted Supervisor Christina Olague, who voted to reinstate Mirkarimi (the consultants raise $100K).

Petitioners would need over 50,000 signatures in 160 days (10% of registereds), and of course, boatloads of money. I'm not sure why the article notes that June 2013 is the earliest date for a recall. Practically, this may be true. But legally it must be called 105-120 days after the petitions are certified.

The article notes that the mayor would appoint a replacement, though that is very different than most California recalls (which have the replacement vote on the same ballot).

See here for more details on the procedure

Wisconsin: The results of the other 2011 Senate recall survivors

Here's an article on the 2011 Senate recall survivors -- all who sought reelection won.

Election Day Results: 12 officials ousted, 10 survive; 4 places add recall laws

The results are in from the 22 Election Day recalls and we have a near even split. 12 officials were removed, and 10 survived (One of the officials who was removed in the recall had previously resigned). Scroll down on the blog to see each result.

The most prominent recalls -- the Troy, Michigan Mayor and the San Fernando, California Mayor and Two Council members -- saw the officials kicked out. Two of the multi-official recalls saw a split decision, which is generally unusual. Most multi-official recalls are clean sweeps, one way or the other.

Every one of the ballot propositions related to recalls passed by overwhelming margins. That mean four new jurisdictions (Cities in Maine, Rhode Island, Minnesota and Tennessee)  have adopted the recall. Note that in one of these towns, the Bemidji, Minnesota, the town council had tried to kill the recall at an early stage, but failed.

For the first time that I'm aware of, a jurisdiction (College Station, Texas) changed their recall law from a political recall (no reason needed) to a judicial recall or a malfeasance standard. Chattanooga also modified its recall law, but that was more of a practical matter due to a judicial decision.

And in other recall-related news, one of the Wisconsin Senators who gained office in the 2011 recalls lost and the state Senate flipped from Democratic to Republican. In Arizona, the state Senator who ousted Senate Majority Leader Russell Pearce in the 2011 recall lost his seat. And Don Bankhead, who has lost two recall elections as a Fullerton City Council member, failed to regain his seat.

California: Mountain House Community Services District Director ousted in recall

Missed this one on Election Day -- Mountain House Community Services District Director Jass Singh was kicked out, 1,136-780. Here's earlier coverage and this:

Many residents have stated that the petition was a response to Singh’s derogatory public comments about members of the community and an offensive hand gesture made during a board meeting in April.
He was officially censured by fellow directors in March and May.

Non-Recall op-ed for the New York Times

Here's an article I wrote about how politics is mimicking the 1880s.

California: Recalled Councilman loses Fullerton race to recapture seat

Former Councilman Don Bankhead, who was seeking to return to the council after losing his seat in the June recall vote, came in a distant seventh. Bankhead was looking to be the only official that I've heard of to win office twice after losing two recalls.

The other two losers in the recall did not run. One of the winners of the recall, Travis Kigerl in June is leading in the election.

Wisconsin: Senate flips back to Republican, as one recall victor loses seat

The biggest achievement of the Wisconsin recall campaign now seems to be undone, as the Republicans have recaptured the state Senate, going from 17-16 D to a possible 18-15 Republican victory (one seat is vacant, but is in a heavily Republican area). As the Democrats did very well statewide (Tammy Baldwin won the US Senate seat, Barack Obama garnered 53% of the vote), the gerrymandering of the Senate can certainly be seen as playing a significant role in the victory.

Senator Jessica King, who was one of the two Democrats to win seats in the 2011 recall, appears to have lost her race. She is down by 590 votes, 43,039 votes to 42,449

The seat held by recall Hall-of-Famer, Democrat Jim Holperin (the only man to face two recalls as a state legislator) was won by a Republican.

Arizona: Senator who toppled Senate Majority Leader in 2011 recall loses seat

Arizona Senator Jerry Lewis, who defeated Senate Majority Leader Russell Pearce in a recall race last November, lost his seat in the regular election yesterday. Due to redistricting, Lewis' new seat was turned from a strongly-Republican district to a Democratic-leaning one.

Pearce tried for a comeback in a different Senate district, but lost in the primary.

Tennessee: Chattanooga modifies signature requirement for recall law

Chattanooga voters overwhelmingly approved a charter amendment adopting the state law for recalls -- vote was 73.73% in favor 39,272 to 13,991.

The new law, which comes after a round of the litigation that killed an attempted mayoral recall, requires 15 percent of registered voters signature, while the former charter required 50% of  voter turnout. Interestingly enough, the 15% meant voters needed 15,000 signatures to take out the mayor, while the 50% voter turnout meant they needed only 9,000.

Tennessee: Mt. Juliet voters approve recall law

Mt. Juliet voters overwhelmingly approved a recall amendment, with 84.08 voters voting yes on the law (9,494-1,797). I have not seen any details on the law itself.

Maine: Peru voters adopt recall law

Peru voters approved the recall law, with 59% voting yes -- 518-355. The law applies to municipal officials, but not to school board members.

Rhode Island: Woonsocket approves recall law

Woonsocket voters overwhelmingly approve a recall law, with 69.9 percent in favor of the new provision. The new law would require 10% of registered voters signature in 60 days.

Minnesota: Bemidji voters adopt recall law

Bemidji voters overwhelming approved a recall law for elected officials, passing the proposition with 83.2% votes in favor 4,682-945. Minnesota is a judicial recall state, and this law will require a showing of malfeasance or incompetence.

The law requires 20% of voter turnout to get a recall on the ballot. Here's a full run down of the provisions.

Arkansas: 2 mayors ousted, four survive on election day recall

Still looking for the details on each of these Arkansas recalls, but if this piece is correct, two of the six recalls succeeded in kicking out the official. Alexander mayor Paul Mitchell and Kingsland mayor Tim McClellan were removed, and the mayors survived in Bauxite, Cotton Plant, and Redfield. Additionally, we have seen that Wilmot's mayor survived.

Update: Some numbers have come in:

Alexander Mayor Paul Mitchell lost 71-29% (453-184).

Bauxite Mayor Johnny McMahan survived 46-54% (127-148)

Arkansas: Kingsland Mayor kicked out

Kingsland Mayor Tim McClellan was kicked out, with 64% against 100-56. margin (64 percent). The town can special election or the city council can pick a replacement.



Arkansas: Wilmot mayor survives recall vote

Wilmot Mayor Clinton Harris from office appears to have survived the recall, 145-123.

Kansas: Split in Baxter Springs, two council members survive, one falls

Looks like a split result in the Baxter Springs recall -- City Councilman Ed McCafee (45.68-54.32% 11-132) and Gary Allen 48.7-51.3% 282-297) survived the recall, while Ron Costlow lost 54.57-45.43% 179-149)

California: Two Orange Cove City Council members survive recall vote

Two Orange Cove City Council members, Glenda Hill and Frank Martinez, survived their recall votes. Hill won 263-301 and Martinez was 258-303.

Michigan: Alpena Mayor survives, two councilman ousted

We have a rare split decision in the Alpena recall. Councilman Mike Nunneley (2,389-2,045) and Councilman Dave Karschnick (2,474,-1,974) were ousted in the recall.  Mayor Matt Waligora survived (1,990-2459).

California: San Fernando Mayor, Council members ousted in recall

All three sex-scandal scarred San Fernando elected officials were removed yesterday (though one resigned previously). Mayor Brenda Esqueda and Councilwoman Maribel De La Torre both lost in overwhelming fashion, Esqueda 84.12-15.88% (3243-612) and De La Torre 85.49-14.51% (3,269-555).

Councilman Mario Hernandez, who resigned in July, lost 86.3-13.7% (3,243-515).

Replacements were also chosen in the same race:

Jesse Avila defeated Victoria Mojica 73 percent to 26 percent in the race to replace Esqueda. Robert Gonzales will take Hernandez's former seat after getting 63 percent and easily beating two challengers, Gilbert Berriozabal and Bennie Nejar Jr.

In the race to succeed De La Torre, Joel Fajardo held a lead of 164 votes over Louis Lopez, the nearest of three challengers. All precincts in the city were reporting as of this morning, but it was unclear whether absentee ballots could affect that outcome.

Michigan: Troy Mayor Janice Daniels loses recall vote

Controversial Troy mayor Janice Daniels was kicked out of office last night, losing her recall vote in a close race 52.23-47.77% (20, 763-18,993).

The successor is chosen by the city council, and the new mayor serves for a year until the next election in November 2013.

Texas: College Station adopts new recall laws mandating a malfeasance standard

The vote was overwhelming 15,000 for versus 3,590 against. As far as I'm aware, this is the first jurisdiction to move from a political recall to malfeasance/judicial recall standard.

Oregon: Two Baker City School Board member recalls get on the ballot

The recall of two Baker School Board members have made the ballot, and will be scheduled for a vote within 35 days. Petitioners got 937 valid signatures against board chaor Lynne Burroughs and 936 against director Mark Henderson. They needed 913.

This is the second effort to gather enough signatures to place the recall of the two directors on the ballot. The first started in April, but fell short of the required number of valid signatures by the July deadline.

Kansas: Luray mayor beats recall

Luray Mayor Chuck Pyle defeated a recall attempt 42-65. The recall was launched over the city's decision to close a street and give a local ministry.

Massachusetts: Two Bridgewater Town Councillors kicked out in recall race

After a long, protracted fight the two Bridgewater Town Councillors were ousted in a recall. Mike Demos lost to Sandra Wright, 54-45% and Peter Riordan was beaten by Paul Sullivan, 63-37%.

In District 3, Wright received 879 votes to Demos’ 730. There were 127 blanks and seven write-ins, for a total of 1,743 ballots cast of the district’s 2,907 registered voters, a turnout of 60 percent.
In District 7, Sullivan received 570 votes to Riordan’s 337. There were 68 blanks and 5 write-ins, for a total of 980 ballots cast of the district’s 2,603 registered voters, a turnout of 37 percent.
That’s lower than in the presidential election, for which turnout was 82 percent in Bridgewater.

22 Recalls taking place on Election Day; 4 jurisdictions to decide whether to adopt the recall

Edit: No surprise, I found another recall, and saw that one of the resignations still a needed a recall vote. So, I've uped the number to 22 recalls.

While not top of mind in a national election, recalls are well represented this election day. By my count, there are 22 recalls taking place today. There could be others that I have not seen, so this is a floor.

Additionally, there are four jurisdictions voting on adopting a recall law, and two others looking to modify their existing recall law. One of those modifications could be the first time that I know that a jurisdiction changed a recall law from a political recall (no misconduct needed) to a judicial recall or malfeasance standard).

By far the most notable of these recalls is the one against Troy Mayor Janice Daniels. Daniels has been a big tea party supporter and has been a lightening rod for criticism in this election. The San Fernando recalls are also quite notable.

The 22 recall number is a slight drop off from 2011, when 30 recalls were held on two Election days (26 on one day alone). I am not surprised by the drop off -- in fact, I would have thought it would be steeper. The reason is simply that a much larger number of positions are up for election this year (as opposed to in 2011). So rather than go through the trouble and expense of signature gathering, petitioners just wait the extra time and try to beat the elected official in the regular election.

Without further ado, here's a list of the recall elections to be held on Tuesday. Once again, thanks for the idea for this scorecard goes to David Nir at the Daily Kos, who suggested I create a list for readers of this blog.

Arkansas:
Mayor of Alexander
Mayor of Bauxite
Mayor of Cotton Plant
Mayor of Kingsland
Mayor of Redfield
Mayor of Wilmot

California
Mountain House Community Service District Director
Two Orange Cove City Council members
San Fernando Mayor and two City Council members (one of the city council members resigned during the campaign, but still has to be voted on)

Kansas:
Three Baxter City Council  members
Mayor of Luray

Massachusetts:
Two Bridgewater Town Councillors

Michigan:
The mayor and two City Council members from Alepena
Mayor of Troy

Ballot Propositions that adopt or modify recall laws:

Maine:
Peru looking to adopt recall law

Minnesota:
Bemidji looking to adopt a recall provision

Rhode Island:
Woonsocket looking to adopt recall law

Tennessee:
Chattanooga voters look to modify their recall law
Mount Juliet Voter looking to adopt recall


Texas:
College Station looking to change recall law from political recall to judicial recall

Michigan:Alpena Mayor, two city council members face recalls

Alpena mayor Matt Waligora and city council members Mike Nunneley, and Dave Karschnick are facing a recall vote tomorrow. The recall is based on the decision to fire the city manager.

California: Two Orange Cove Council members facing recall votes tomorrow

Two Orange Cove Council members are facing a recall vote on November 6.Here's the previous coverage

Nebraska: Superior City Council member facing recall vote tomorrow

Superior City Council member Carrie Lemke will be facing a recall vote tomorrow. The issue is support for a nuisance abatement program, which some residents consider a violation of privacy. The recall targeted four members of the council, but only Lemke's got the signatures.

County Sheriff Jerry Archer and County Attorney Patrick Duncan are also facing recall threats.

Arizona: Maricopa City Council member resigns

From last month, Maricopa City Council member Alan Marchione resigned on Oct. 4 in the face of a just started petition period. The recall effort was started after Marchione alleged sexually harassed and threatened city staffers' jobs.

Oregon: Clackamas County/County Clerk facing recall petitions after temporary worker accused of tampering with ballots

Clackamas County County Clerk Sherry Hall is facing recall threats after allegations that ballots were tampered with in order to add votes for Republican candidates.


Hall has run into a number of problems in the past as an election administrator (which are listed on the side of this article). In this case, a temporary worker is accused of tampering with ballots to cast additional votes for Republican candidates in Clackamas County, which is a swing area.

Louisiana: Melville police chief facing petitions

Melville Police Chief John McKeel is facing petitions, with one resident claiming that he failed to adequately investigate attacks and threats to her family members.  The petitioner claims that she has gathered 250 of the 360 (which is 40 percent of the town's registered voters). Petitioners have until December 16.

Texas: Paper recommends yes vote to change College Station recall to malfeasance standard

Here

Michigan: Flint Mayor who resigned in the face of a recall unveils statute of himself

The mayor was Don Williamson. Here's the story.

California: Petitions handed in for three Coastside Fire Protection directors

Petitioners have handed in signatures for the recall of Coastside Fire Protection District President Doug Mackintosh, Director Mike Alifano and Director Gary Riddell. They need 2,714 signatures for each. 3,290 signatures were collected to recall Alifano, 3,366 signatures were collected for Riddell and 3,327 were collected for Mackintosh.
The special election, if it takes place, will cost $120,000.

New Mexico: Raton recall not getting signatures

The attempted recall of Raton’s four city commissioners, which had 68-78 signatures knocked off, has seen only seven of the people whose signatures were removed asked about reinstatement (four of them had their signatures restored). The petitions need 21 signatures or more.

Maine: Peru voters to decide on recall provision

Peru voters are set to decide whether to add a recall provision for local officials. The recall would exempt school board members. It seems like it would require a malfeasance standard, though no word on the signature requirements.

North Dakota: Mayor of Bottineau kicked out

This one is from June. Mayor Douglas Marsden was kicked out of office, with a vote of 483-238. Marsden and a city councilman who resigned were accused of disrupting the city`s business and inappropriately awarding city contracts.

Georgia: Fayette County Board of Education petitions on hold till ruling from AG

The recall of Fayette County Board of Education member Bob Todd is on hold until the Georgia AG signs off on all the signatures for the original petition. After that petitioner still needs to gather over 21,000 valid signatures in 45 days, and then prove misconduct.

The alleged misconduct is that Todd criticized the Superintendent and told someone that he would lose his job.

Rhode Island: Woonsocket voting on recall

The town of Woonsocket is set to vote on adding a recall provision.

The law would require signatures totaling 10% of registered within 60 days.

Kansas: Baxter City Council members being investigated before recall

The recall of three Baxter Springs City Council members has now taken another turn. The Kansas Attorney General is investigating the city council for the alleged open-meetings violations. The recall will be Tuesday.

Michigan: Troy councilman calls for yes vote on Mayor's ouster

Here. The city councilman claimed that a bizarre reading of a Distinguished Citizen Proclamation to former City Councilmember Mary Kerwin (and a Democratic state House candidate) precipitated his endorsement. You can see the video here.

Texas: Sinton recall petitions ruled invalid

A petition to recall Mayor Eloy Lopez, Linda Guzman-Alaniz and Michelle Soliz was tossed out, with the judge knocking out only 21 signatures on the three petitions combined (they needed 500). Sinton was one of the cities that refused to put the recall on the ballot.

Two of the petitions were five signatures short and the other was six signatures short. The recall started due to a botched attempt to fire the City Manager and city secretary.

Read the piece, as there are real questions here:

Arnold Govella, attorney for the petitioners, asked the judge to dismiss the city’s case Wednesday, stating that the city did not have jurisdiction to file the suit on behalf of the three council members affected because the recall election would not harm the city. 

Govella said he’d never heard of a city intervening on behalf of elected officials in a case like this.

Kansas: Luray Mayor facing recall vote on Election Day

Mayor Chuck Pyle is facing an attempted recall due to allegations that he allowed advertisements to be inserted in June city utility bills and allowed a city utility account to miss a payment.

Pyle claims that the issue was a city council vote to close a portion of an avenue for a ministry which is looking to create a college for missionaries and a place for summer Bible camps.