Arizona: Purchase of Country Club leads to petitions in Oro Valley

Oro Valley Mayor Satish Hiremath and council members Lou Waters, Joe Hornat, and Mary Snide are facing recall petitions over their vote to buy the El Conquistador Country Club  and Golf Course for $1 million, as well as approving a half cent sales tax to cover improvment cost for the property. Petitioners previously tried to stop the tax, but failed even though they presumably collected enough signatures. They were told the wrong total signature amount to collect.

Petitioners would need 2765 signatures for the mayor and 2193 for each council member. There was an attempt to recall another council member last year over a completely different incident, but that failed.

California: Further complaints about process of signature rejection in Salinas

The rhetoric in the op-ed is more than a bit overstated, but the point is one that we've seen before -- delay and official "subjective determinations are frequently used to kill a recall.

Massachusetts: Signature forgery claim in Saugus recall

There is now claims that of signature forgery on the petitions against Saugus Selectmen chair Ellen Faiella. Petitions against the other three selectmen have not been examined yet. Petitioners handed in 4850 signatures, and needed 4443 (recall is over the firing of the town manager). The recall is set for March 17. The story seems to say that the claim has been brought by a pro-selectmen PAC and its consultant, not by actual voters. If they can't get voters to state that they didn't sign, the forgery claim will face a very hard challenge to be successful.

Here's the key info:

Handwriting consultant Eileen Page, hired by the pro-selectmen PAC, said she found 832 unreadable or questionable signatures, even though Town Clerk Ellen Schena only found 43 she could not certify last November, when the issue first came up. Five hundred other names were tossed out because they were not registered voters.

“Signatures shifted from print to cursive,” she said. “People’s names were misspelled — there was either a letter that shouldn’t be there, or letters were omitted. No effort was made to disguise the writing style.”

California: Recall attempt against Perris Councilman arrested for meth possession fails

The recall attempt against Perris Councilman Julio Rodriguez failed, with petitioners not handing signatures. They needed 4661, and they claim they will try again. Rodriguez was arrested for possession of meth after reporting that his city-issued iPad was stolen. He has pled not guilty.

Massachusetts: Sagus Board of Register's member resigned in protest over recall

Don't see this happen to often -- the former town clerk and member of the Board of Registars Joanne D. Rappa resigned over the upcoming Selectmen recall (she doesn't face a recall there). Rappa's term was set to end on March 31.

Rappa claimed that the copy of the approved ballot was sent out to early, and therefore compromised.

Louisiana: St. John the Baptist Parish DA facing petitions

St. John the Baptist Parish District Attorney Bridget Dinvaut is facing petitions less than two months into her six year term. Petitioner will need 9,666 signatures by August 10. IT doesn't say why the petitions have been taken out. Interestingly, Dinvaut came in second in the primary 46-34%m but the lead candidate dropped out before the runoff, and then died shortly afterwards.

Philippine: Bulacan Governor disappears to avoid recall service of process

The clock is running out on the already approved recall of Bulacan Governor Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado. The Supreme Court ordered the recall, signed by 319,707 voters, to go forward, but because the Governor has disappeared from sight, he cannot be personally served, which is one of the requirements of the recall. Now, the service has been mailed. Let's see if any of the big three Philippine recalls get to the ballot.

Arizona: Second shot at Glendale Councilman

Petitioners are taking another shot at Councilman Gary Sherwood. They had 6000 signatures tossed out in December over the issue of not having a box that said whether the petitioner was paid or volunteers.

Petitioners need 2752 signatures by June 20.

Philippines: Election Commission orders stop to Cagayan de Oro City mayoral recall

Just part of the continual trouble with recalls (and elections) in the Philippines.The Commission of Elections tossed out an attempted recall of Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno over a missing information on the petitions, specifically the rasons and justification for the recall on every signature sheet.

The Philippines Supreme Court recently overturned a separate election commission attempt to kill a recall against a different mayor.

Oregon: Gearhart mayor not resigning, recall will be on March 26

Here. Petitioners handed in 113 signatures, 108 were verified. They needed 102.

Colorado: Complaints in Colorado Springs recall rejected over the forms

Here

Colorado: Reporter wins award for Pueblo recall coverage

Here

Texas: Houston' Equal Rights Ordinance recall fails due to error on petitions

An attempt to "recall" Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance has failed after petitioners failed to put a "county of residence" line on the petitions. Petitioners handed in over 50,00 signatures in Houston, less than 4,000 were valid.

Ohio: The past and potential dangers of a Cleveland Mayoral recall

A good look back here by a veteran Cleveland reporter Brett Larkin on the Mayor Dennis Kuchinch recall in 1978.

California: Oroville City Councilors facing petitions

Oroville City Councilors David Pittman, J.R. Simpson and Thil Wilcox due to a fight over whether to allow PG&E to cut down trees in a cemetery. Petitioners may also try going after Mayor Linda Dahlmeier and Councilor Jack Berry once their 90 day election grace period ends. The trees were cut down on February 6. 

Petitioners will need 1574 signatures to get on the ballot.

Oregon: Kitzhaber and the frequency of resignations

Unfortunately, I couldn't post this in time. At least the Oregonian ran this in a timely fashion -- here's my op-ed on Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber's resignation.

Georgia: Pierce County Board of Ed Chair avoids molestation charges, but can a recall be far behind?

 Pierce County Board of Education Chairman Mark Dixon won't be facing molestation charges due to a statute of limitation issue, but the recall is another story. It's not clear if even this case can overcome the Georgia recall rules (as a malfeasance/judicial recall state, it is not clear if even this is enough cause to get the recall on the ballot). 

Nevada: The Iceman Cometh -- challenger announced against Assembly Speaker

A water and ice vending machine business owner seems to have the backing of petitioners in a run against Assembly Speaker John Hambrick, if the recall gets on the ballot.

Michigan: Plymouth Township recall won't make May ballot

They still have time to get on the November ballot.

North Dakota: Lincoln mayor recall fight leads to House vote on vetoes

The case of the Lincoln mayor veto has resulted in an overwhelming House vote (90-1) to allow a city council to override a mayor's veto. The issue came up when Lincoln Mayor Bob Johnston vetoed a council bill on drainage and ground-water issues. The veto could not be overriden. The council than passed a motion allowing for a veto, which Johnston vetoed.

Petitions are still circulating against Johnston. Petitioners need 110 signatures (25% of mayoral turnout) in 90 days.

California: Kensington Police Board hit with recall petitions

Kensington Police Board directors Len Welsh, Chuck Toombs and Pat Gillett all received recall notices over a 16% pay raise (over 4 years), fallout from a non-suspension of a cop having his gun stolen by a prostitute in Reno, and questions over the police chief contract. The petitions were filed by a UC Berkeley political science professor, Kinch Hoekstra.

California: Selma School board members facing threats

Selma School Board members who voted to buy out the school superintendent are facing recall threats. Looks like those three are Gilbert Lopez,Jennifer Winter and Roger Orosco. 

Arizona: Huachuca City Mayor facing recall elections -- ballots due on February 27

Ballots are out in the recall of Huachuca City Mayor Ken Taylor, as he faces off against former town council member Gene McCullough, Carol Durbin and Jon Smuda.

Colorado: Silverton Trustee survives recall vote

Silverton Trustee Karla Safranski survived a recall vote 245-201. The recall was launched over a fight between the public works director and the town manager, both of whom were fired.

Georgia: Petitions taken out against Grantville Councilman

Grantville City Councilman David Riley is facing recall threats over claims that he interfered with city personnel and supported investigations. Georgia requires a cause showing and this doesn't sound like it will qualify.

Petitioners first need 100 signatures by Feburary 25 and then would need 30% of eligible voters -- all must have voted in 2013. 

Maryland: Brunswick recall dropped, along with proposed pay as you throw trash charge

The recall effort against Mayor Karin Tome has been abandoned, as the mayor has dropped a proposed trash collection program that would charge users by the bag (pay as you throw). Petitioner claims to have gotten 90 signatures out of the 171 required.

Wisconsin: Stevens Point school board recall dropped

The recall attempt against Stevens Point Area School Board members Lisa Totten and Kim Shirek over complaints that they don't work well with other board members and create a hostile environment has been abandoned. PEtitioners needed 6549 signatures.

Texas: Ousted Laredo Councilman pleads guilty to possession of controlled substance

Jorge Vera got probation, and kicked out of office in a recall for his troubles.

Minnesota: State Senate bill would allow recall of School Board members

Currently, the school board members can be removed by a vote of the school board. The new bill would remove that provision and allow for a recall.

Washington: Petitioner retrying Snohomish County Prosecutor recall attempt

The attempt against Mark Roe failed due to the fact that he was up for reelection. Now, the petitioner is taking another try, with a court case asking if Roe can face a recall for his actions.

Massachusetts: Two Winchendon selectmen facing May 4th vote

Fedor Berndt and Elizabeth Hunt are both up for a vote on May 4th. Earlier discussion on the subject here

Florida: Recall effort against Bradenton Beach Mayor takes turn to forfeiture

Not content with the attempt to recall Bradenton Beach Mayor Bill Shearon, three members of the the city council voted to declare a "forfeiture" of the mayoral office.  The issue seems to be  violation of sunshine laws.

Nevada: Paperwork filed for recall of Assembly Speaker

Paperwork was filed by Nevada Assembly Speaker John Hambrick, though apparently the effort against Assemblyman Stephen Silberkraus was been dropped, while that against Assemblyman Chris Edwards hasn't moved forward.

Ohio: Recall talk surrounds Cleveland Mayor

Complaints about the aftermath of a police shooting of a 12-year old has led to calls for the recall of Mayor Frank Jackson. Petitioners would need 12,000 signatures.

Taiwan: Appendectomy Project fails with legislator surviving recall vote

The recall of Kuomintang Legislator Alex Tsai failed Feb. 14 due to low voter turnout. Petitioners needed 50% turnout of the 317,434 voters. They got 24.98%. Almost all of the voters (76,737-2,196) voted for removal.

 According to CEC data, only a township councilor and village chief have been recalled from 1990 to 2011. Nine legislators faced motions, with six proceeding to ballots. 

Arizona: More discussion of push to recall state Superintendent of Public Schools

Here

Oregon: Signatures handed in against Gearhart Mayor

114 signatures were handed in against Gearhart Mayor Dianne Widdop, petitioners need 102. Here's some earlier coverage.

Philippines: Supreme Court rules that Puerto Princesa recall must go forward

Puerto Princesa, Palawan Mayor Lucilo Bayron is now facing a recall, with the Supreme Court tossing out the mayor's petition. Lots of technical stuff, mainly on the issue of when the recall can start. But what was clear was the mayor was hoping to delay/kill it and that effort seems to have failed.

Arizona: Camp Verde Mayor, council members hit with recall over sales tax increase

Camp Verde Mayor Charlie German and council members Robin Whatley, Bruce George and Jessie Jones are being hit with petitions over their approval of a .65 percent sales tax increase. Petitioner needs 331 signatures per council member and 485 for the mayor by June 11.

Massachusetts: Sagus Selectmen recall ballot set

The ballot order has been set in the March 17 recall of Sagus Selectmen Ellen Faiella, Steve Castinetti, Maureen Dever and Paul Allan. The ballot order was set by pulling names from a drum.

Michigan: Tawas City Mayor facing May 5 recall

Tawas City Mayor Pro Tem Dave Dickman who is facing a May 5 recall, led by former Tawas Mayor Kane Kelly.

Colorado: Colorado Springs City Council recall getting weird

The lone candidate against City Councilor Helen Collins dropped out due to his ineligibility over a prior armed robbery felony conviction. In addition, there is a strange land deal involving the Collins, the possibility of Collins being chosen by the council to replace herself in the event of a successful recall and a $14,000 cost for signature gatherers. This one is scheduled for early April -- let's see what happens.

Michigan: Editorial on problems with recall's factual requirement

This editorial quotes one of my comments from a few years ago.

Florida: Quincy City Commissioner faces recall

Quincy City Commissioner Micah Brown faced a recall threat last year over his move to get a fee reduced for a nonprofit. The leader of the recall was the husband of the former councilwoman who lost her reelection bid to Brown. Petitioners handed in 210 names, more than double the number needed.  It seems that the question is still being fought over.

New Mexico: Signatures handed in against three Las Cruces councilors

Signatures were submitted against Las Cruces city councilors Gill Sorg, Olga Pedroza, and Nathan Small. The issue is a new minimum wage law opposed by local business.

 The three councilors targeted in the recall voted against the minimum wage law in a stated effort to get the measure on the November ballot.  But that effort failed when the other councilors and the Mayor voted to approve the law with stated intentions of making adjustments at a later date.  

Louisiana: Gonzales recall proponent named to council seat

Gonzales Councilman Gary Lacombe resigned in the face of a recall last year. One of the people pushing for the recall has been named as his replacement

Oregon: Governor Kitzhaber, facing calls for resignation, now hit with possible recall effort

Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber (D) was just reelected in November but he is facing massive calls demanding his resignation. Kitzhaber's fiancee is accused of effectively monetizing the office, with Kitzhaber's possible knowledge.

Now, two members of the campaign of Kitzhaber's Republican opponent, Dennis Richardson, are now moving forward with a possible recall push. There was another recall paper filed, but this one seems a bit more likely to work.

Petitioners would need 220,000 signatures in 90 days, and couldn't start until he is office for six months under his new term (there's some debate over this, but I would bet the courts hold it can't start to July). Interestingly enough, we had the exact same issue for a recall threat against Portland Mayor Sam Adams (Adams got caught in a sex scandal right before his second term started -- oddly, my op-ed from 2009 is bylined to the op-ed editor).

Though Oregon was the first state to adopt the recall for state level officials back in 1908, it has never used it against a Governor. It has had three state legislators ousted with a recall.

Scott Walker and recall donors

There's been a number of stories about Scott Walker's rise in the presidential polls and his ability to use donors who he met in the 2011-2012 recall fight to help fund his push. I have an op-ed on the subject that hopefully will run somewhere soon. so I'll wait until then to discuss.

Nevada: More on recall/extortion victim Republican Assemblyman Edwards

We got some more details on the extortion issues surrounding Republican Assemblyman Chris Edwards. A Recall Edwards PAC has been founded --- the recall is about his support for Assembly Speaker John Hambrick as well as his refusal to openly oppose business license fee increase from Governor Brian Sandoval.

The extortion issue related to an attempt to pressure Edwards into switching his vote for speaker. Edwards backed Hambrick in the preliminary vote in December by then came under mysterious pressure to switch. The police searched the home of a Las Vegas businessman who applied for a vacant assembly seat but wasn't chosen.

Kansas: MoveOn puts forth online, obviously unofficial, recall petition against Governor

Left wing political action group MoveOn,org has launched an online petition against Kansas Governor Sam Brownback (R). Brownback, who has faced a fair degree of criticism from both parties, won reelection in November, 49.8% to 46.1%. Of course, the petition has no value, as online petitions are not an acceptable way to launch a recall. The petitions are reported to have nearly 7800 signatures as of Wednesday, though I always find that info for online petitions useless.

But, let's discuss this from a theoretical perspective. There is no way Brownback will be facing a recall. Kansas law is very tough on a number of fronts. It requires signatures of 10% of turnout just to move to second stage requiring 40% of the turnout, which would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 350,000 signatures). This is way too expensive and difficult, and the replacement would likely be a Republican anyway.

Since Kansas is a Malfeasance Standard/Judicial Recall state, there would need to be a showing of cause. Fortunately enough, in 2011 Kansas had a recall that met the "incompetence" level of a recall. This are rare (we have one in Washington a couple of years ago as well). Even with the showing of incompetence, the recall didn't get to the ballot.

I should also note that MoveOn is a called progressive, which is fine generally. But as I've explained before, the term progressive is one that a blog dedicated to recall elections has to be very careful using.

California: Manteca change to district based system makes school board recall more viable

There's now some discussion on a recall against members of the Manteca School Board. A change in the law in 2014 could have a big impact on this recall. The law changed the elections from at-large to district. So, it seems you would need many fewer signatures to get on the ballot.

Florida: Bradenton Beach Mayor submits recall statement

Here -- still a ways to go before this one gets to the ballot.

North Dakota: Lincoln Mayor facing petitions over use of vetoes

Lincoln Mayor Bob Johnston is now facing petitions over his persistent use of vetoes. Johnston vetoed a council decision to make water drainage repairs and a plan to allow a veto override with a 2/3rds council vote. A State Representative sponsored a bill (H2245) that would allow councils to override mayoral vetoes in North Dakota.

Petitioners need 25% of the 2012 turnout in 90 days.

California: Superintendent firings; felony offenses may lead to recalls

The superintendents in Selma and Golden Valley were fired on Tuesday; Central unified's superintendents resigned and Raisin City's was found not to have administrative credentials and once plead guilty to a felony. The results is recall discussions.

Ohio: Sandusky looks back at charter -- recall adopted in 1914

Interesting look back. They only need 10% of voter signatures. However, those voters had to live in the city at the time of the previous election.

Michigan: Howell School Board recall language approved on the third try

Petition wording was approved for the recall of three Howell School Board members, Michael Moloney, Deborah McCormick and Mike Yenshaw. The issue was the firing of superintendent Ron Wilson over a millage charge for his car. This was the third attempt to get the language approved -- the first was rejected by the commission, the second by a Circuit Court Judge. The recall against McCormick was accepted by the judge, so there could be two separate petitions circulation, but one of the lead petitioners claim it is void.

Arizona: Sonoran newspaper targeted as behind Cave Creek recall

The Sonoran News is accused of being behind the upcoming recall campaign. Here's their response.

India: Nagar Panchayat Chair survives recall vote

Nagar Panchayat Chairman Kamalkant Bharadwaj survived a January 31 recall vote, with 5,630 votes for and 2,830 against. 251 votes were found invalid.

Michigan: Recall results -- Ontwa Township, which kicked out members -- kills waste water treatment plant

Ontwa Township, which removed four members in a recall over a proposed waste water treatment plant, has since scotched the plant from the board agenda.

Nebraska: Verdigre Fire Board replaces members

Following the ouster of two board members and resignation of a third in November, the Verdigre Rural Fire Board has replaced its members with an election.

Texas: Appellate Court orders Hearne to schedule a recall after months of deadlock

The 10th Court of Appeals has ordered Hearne to hold a recall election against Councilwoman Maxine Vaughn. The Hearne City Council seems to have succeeded in running out the clock on this recall vote. The City Council has repeatedly refused to schedule a recall (it's deadlocked 3-3). Petitioners handed in 400 signatures in July. Vaughn now has only three months left in her term.

It appears the recall is political, with three other councilmembers (and possibly the mayor) being among the prime backers of the recall.

The article from KBTX focuses on the cost of the special election ($4-7K) and that Vaughn has only three months left. The article really should have noted that the vastly more pertinent point that the council was actively thwarting the law (and costing the city more money in appellate costs).

Colorado: Senate Republicans look into repealing gun control laws

Here

Nevada: Assemblyman hit with recall threats, extortion investigation

As part of the recall battles, Assemblyman Chris Edwards, who appears to be aligned with Speaker John Hambrick, is facing recall threats and an extortion investigation. The threats are about his failure to oppose tax legislation proposed by Governor Brian Sandoval and sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.

Nevada: Las Vegas Review Journal editorial on recalls -- "Bring it on"

Rare to see an editorial on recalls that isn't some pearl-clutching. Here's one good example from the Review Journal.

Missouri: Ferguson mayoral recall "seems dead in the water"

There was some talk of recalling Mayor James Knowles, but this article notes that it "seems dead in the water." I haven't heard about it in months, so this does seem accurate.

Wisconsin: Stevens Point School board recall will not get on April ballot; trying for special election

The recall of Stevens Point school board members Lisa Totten and Kim Shirek wil not have enough signatures to get on the April ballot, though the feel they can get enough for a special election. Petitioners have until March 10 to get 6549 signatures.

Nevada: Las Vegas Sun anti-recall op-ed

Here

Non-recall op-ed in the LA Times

Here's my piece on why every GOP candidate from the last 20 years seems to be jumping into the presidential pool.

The Nevada Recall fight -- examining a strange law and its impact on a potentially critical recall race

An intra-party leadership fight amongst Nevada's Assembly Republicans has put the recall in the spotlight in the Silver State. I have an op-ed in the Las Vegas Review Journal examining the issue and spelling out the history of recalls against legislative leaders. But thanks to a recent development in the small town of Ely, we can dig a little deeper into the challenges facing the recall proponents in Nevada.

The basic provisions of Nevada's recall law are standard -- you get 90 days to collect the signatures, and you need 25% of the total turnout when the position was last up for a vote. That means it is all of the voters who came out to vote, not just those who voted for the Assembly position. This distinction does matter, as there are real drop-offs for down ballot elections (this sites  quotes a paper noting a 15% drop-off). So the 25% is harder than many states, like Wisconsin, that require 25% of turnout for that specific race. However, other states (NJ) require the signatures of 25% of registered voters. This is a higher standard than Nevada.

What Nevada does have is a stricter provision -- the 25% of voters had to cast a ballot in that last election for that position. This was the source of a lawsuit in 2010, where the Nevada Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the signatures had to be from people who actually voted in that last election. Being a registered voter is not enough. The voter actually had to be shown that he or she actually cast a ballot in the previous race (the original baseline was actually for a Supreme Court race). This decision overturned a 2009 Nevada law that opened up the signature line to be any registered voter.

The Supreme Court could conceivably have gone further and demanded that the voter attest to actually voting in the race for the specific position facing a recall. Other jurisdictions do have that exact provision or harsher ones. A City Council recall in Lubbock was tossed out because the petitioners needed 10% of the signers to attest by affidavit that they actually voted for the candidate facing the recall.  Petitioners in that case handed in well over the required amount, but were left crying, waiting and hoping in vain for decision that would allow them to proceed. Here's two other examples, one in New Mexico and the other in Idaho.

Now, in addition to this harder provision, we have to note that signature failure rates -- meaning signatures tossed out for not conforming to the rules for whatever reason -- vary greatly from state to state. But there does seem to be some intrastate conformity. So in California, 15% failure is not unusual, same with Michigan. But in Arizona and Colorado, we frequently see 40% reject rates. Why this happens is not clear -- could be the law, could be attempts to protect incumbents, or it could be that the county clerks take a much harsher line on signature issues. But it does seem to be a pattern. It's possible to overcome it, but it is clearly a problem for petitioners.

Nevada seems to be a state that has a high signature failure rate. Presumably, this may be caused by the requirement that voters actually have voted in the previous election. It also may be due to other reasons. The reality though is that in four years, this blog has seen only one recall get on the ballot in the state.

I mentioned a recent matter last week in Ely that shines some additional light on the problem. The Ely recall is itself worth reading about (the city council broke into a railroad's office to obtain records). But what is useful for us is that petitioners handed in signatures against the Mayor and 5 councilmembers. Enough signatures were tossed out against 3 of them to prevent the recall from getting to the ballot. The only one that I have numbers for saw a 38% failure rate.

The other 3 council members had the Secretary of State and county clerk unable to find the voting records for the 2011 elections. Therefore, they couldn't verify that the recall signers actually voted in the 2011 election. All of the petitions were thrown out and it is clear under this interpretation, no recall can be launched against those three officials. 

So you can actually do everything right, but still have an administrative error pull the rug out from under you and kill the recall. 

Now, none of these facts should be proof that a recall couldn't get on the ballot against Assembly Speaker John Hambrick or the other two assembly members, Chris Edwards or Stephen Silberkraus. In fact, the signature requirement to get a Hambrick recall on the ballot is low enough (4116) that it would seem to be doable. But as you can see, Nevada law can make it very tough to get a recall on the ballot.

Postscript:

Jeff Singer at the Daily Kos asked me about how a replacement would be chosen, and that also has an odd provision worth looking at. Generally, the recall is basically a new election. All the candidates run, and whoever gets the most votes wins (the First Past the Post system). Arizona and Michigan have this type of recall law (Wisconsin has a similar one, but also includes a party primary).

However, if no one enters the race, there is a "for" or "against" recall vote with just the elected official on the ballot. If he loses, then the replacement is chosen in the "manner provided by law." For the Nevada state legislature, that would be a special election, In this case, the elected official who was just removed in the recall vote would probably be able to run again in the replacement special election. That's not so unusual, but worth noting.

Additional Post Script: Ballot Access News' Richard Winger noted that the Nevada's Supreme Court decision arguably violated federal law. Richard (who really knows this area) argues that the Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore and elsewhere have held that past votes cannot be used to bar signing petitions or from voting. Since the Nevada decision was not appealed to the federal courts, only a future decision would decide this point.

Nevada: Ely City Council recall fails under bizarre circumstances

A crazy result in Ely. Recall petitions against five city council members, Sam Hansen, Marty Westland, Randy Lee, Dale Derbidge and Bruce Setterstrom and Mayor Melody Van Camp were ruled to have failed. Petitioners need 25% of turnout (for three of them it was 215, the other three 198). Again, in Nevada, anyone who signed the petition must have voted in the election where the seat facing a recall was last contested.

The issue that prompted the recall was itself incredible -- the council got into the Nevada Northern Railway's office for an audit (the council claims the railway owes the city money) -- a County Commissioner climbed in through a second story window. The also fired railroad board members.

Petitioners handed in signatures in December. The article doesn't list how many were gathered against each council member, but the most was against Setterstrom, who had 289 handed in. Only 182 were found valid against him (meaning there was a 37% rejection rate). The rejection rate against the other two who they checked, Hansen and Lee, found a lower rejection rate (they came out with 194 and 201 valid signatures).

But it is the other three recalls that were so odd. The Secretary of State found that the county clerk no longer had the voting records from the 2011 elections. Because Nevada requires the signers to have voted in the last election for that office, there would be no possible way to verify the signatures against Van Camp, Westland and Derbidge. So, due to administrative failure, there is simply no way to get a recall going against those officials -- or anyone that has a similar failure.

Presumably, this decision can be appealed. But, once again, the responsibility, and more importantly, the cost, will be foisted upon the petitioners.

California: Antioch mayor files response to recall

Here

Michigan: Signatures approved against 3 Gladstone council members -- recall scheduled for May 5

Gladstone Mayor Joseph Maki, Mayor Pro Tem Hugo Mattonen and Commissioner David Nemacheck appear to be facing an upcoming May 5th recall over their votes to raise the city’s millage without holding a public hearing. Petitioners needed 432 signatures to get on the ballot.

California: Op-ed discussing voter database issues in Monterey County

Interesting issue brought up here --  an op-ed noting the issue with Monterey County Elections Department voter database, which came into play during the recent Salinas recall attempts. The author claims that numerous voter signatures were rejected because the database is well out of date.

Idaho: West Bonner School Board recall fails

The recall campaign against West Bonner County School Board chairwoman Sandra Brower appears to have failed. Petitioners turned in 180 signatures, they needed 162 (50% of eligible voters) by Jan. 26. Only 139 were accepted (14 were from out of district, 11 were duplicate. No word on why the other 26 were rejected).

The issue was Brower's approval of pay raises for district teachers, a claim that she appointed a family member to the board (though Brower claims the person was not in her family), that meeting with district personnel over a levy was electioneering and a March 2013 drunk driving arrest.