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.