Missouri: Ferguson Mayoral recall effort falls 27 signatures short

The Ferguson Mayoral recall effort seems to have missed out by 27 signatures, with officials holding that only 1787 of those handed in were valid (petitioners need 1814, they turned in over 3200). The latest batch of signatures had a much better success rate -- 276 were tossed because of non-registered signers and 93 were because they previously signed the petition.

Of course, there is complaints about the process -- petitioners are claiming that the city clerk had five days to validate the signatures, which would have ended on Wednesday. The clerk only announced the ruling today.

South Africa: Activist calls for recall of President Jacob Zuma

Doesn't sound likely, but here it is.

Venezuela: Calls going out for Presidential recall

President Nicolas Maduro is facing calls for a recall -- which can be launched after his 3rd year of the six year term.

Massachusetts: Town Administrator censored for running in Fall River Mayor recall race

Here

Texas: Lake Dallas residents look at recall

Mayor Anthony Marino is facing recall threats as residents also look to oust dual-use official, City Manager/Police Chief Nick Ristagno. The list of residents looking into it include a former mayor, police chief and a former council member.

Part of the battle has to due with the removal of Councilwoman Julie Mathews, who was ousted by the council shortly after winning an overwhelming victory in May.

Washington: Pierce County Prosecutor recall papers filed

Recall papers have been filed against Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist over accusations that he hired and promoted females based on attractiveness; intimated deputy prosecutors and ordered evasions of the Public Records Act. Washington is a judicial recall/malfeasance standard state -- meaning that cause has to be shown for a recall to get on the ballot.

Colorado: Secretary of State suggest Constitutional Amendment to close recall loophole

Here -- the issue was that absentee ballots had to be set 45 days before, and recall candidates wouldn't be known until 15 days before the election.

Arizona: Oro Valley recall scheduled for November 3

The recall against Oro Valley Town Councilmembers Joe Hornat, Mary Snider and Lou Waters has been scheduled for November 3. The cost is estimated to be $30,000.

California: Atlantic article on San Bernardino with response from recalled official

Here

Massachusetts: Hinsdale Board Chairwoman recall set for Saturday

Here's a letter denouncing the effort

Ohio: Signature submitted against Cleveland mayor has 98% rejection rate

The recall effort against Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson seemed to set a record for failure, with more than 98% of signatures submitted being thrown out. Petitioners handed in 12887 (they claimed to have handed in 13500) and they needed 12025. Only 260 of them were validated. 9600 signatures were tossed out because the petitioners failed to sign a part of the form attesting to the number of people they witnessed signing. Another 1980 were kick out due to inaccuracies. The remaining 1034 didn't vote in the November 2013 election (a requirement under the law).

Petitioners now have 20 days to make up the difference. The signers had to have voted in the November 2013 election. Here's a look at Cleveland's law compared to some other mid-western cities.

California: Petitions threatened against Santa Cruz County Supervisor over village project

Santa Cruz Supervisor Zach Friend is facing recall threats over the his support for construction in Aptos Village.

Michigan: Greenleaf Township Clerk facing petitions

Petitions have been filed against Greenleaf Township Clerk Lori Mazure, which seems to be connected to the Supervisor Kirk Winter recall.

Michigan: Greenleaf Supervisor ousted

This one was from May 8 -- Kirk Winter was ousted by Rodney Mazure, 111-82-38 (Randall Schuette). The issue was moving forward with purchasing a township hall without board approval.

Ohio: Petitioners submit signatures for Cleveland Mayor

Petitioners have submitted more than 13.500 signatures for the recall of  Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson. They need 12,025 (which seems like it may not be enough to get by the verification process). According to the City Council, the signatures must be from voters who voted in the November 2013 municipal election. The primary issue is the use of force by the police department in the wake of the Tamir Reed shooting.

Canada: Editorial against Burnaby recall

Here

UK: Recall in UK against MP might be delayed until rules in place to use the device

It will be months before the UK recall is operational, which may result in a delay in considering whether Alistair Carmichael, the first MP threatened with it over his leaking of a memo, can face a recall.

Nebraska: Signatures verified against Creighton Board of Ed President

Signatures were verified against Creighton Board of Education President Dan Morrill, with petitioners handing in 180 valids. They needed 165.

Canada: Independent MP proposes recall law on national level

Here

Missouri: Article about mayor power mentions 2001 Berkeley Council recall

I had not heard of this recall, of City Councilmember Louvenia Mathison in 2001. Could be another point to discuss in the Ferguson mayoral recall.

North Dakota: Lincoln Mayor ousted

Lincoln Mayor Robert Johnston was kicked out of office, with presidential election-level turnout 380 votes. Johnston lost by a more than 3-1 margin to Gerarld Wise. Here's more on the issue, which involves the power of overruling veto (resulting in a state law change) and water drainage repair.

Canada: Recall effort against MLA Richard Lee fails

I believe this is a clean sweep of failed recalls. Petitioners needed 16491 signatures to knock out the Burnaby MLA. They haven't said how many signatures they got (the paper notes that there have been 24 previous recall efforts, and in 18 they refused to divulge the numbers).

Connecticut: More push on Gubernatorial recall idea

We saw coverage of this earlier in the week, but it now looks like former two term Republican Gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley discussion of creating a recall law to remove Governor Dannel Malloy from office is trying to gain some legs. One of Foley's supporters is now pushing for website and Facebook page

Missouri: Ferguson making last push for petitions -- due on Friday

Here's a USA Today article that quotes me on the last minute push to get the recall on the ballot against Ferguson Mayor James Knowles.

California: Carson City Clerk facing petitions over fight, possibly related to stadium

Carson City Clerk Jim Dear, who served 11 years as mayor, is facing petitions over his "erratic behavior." The mayor and two councilmembers are among those who oppose Dear.Oone of the councilmembers, Jawane Hilton, could not be seated because Dear refused to finish counting the ballots for his election, leading to some lawsuits, an appointment of Hilton to a vacant council seat, and a diatribe by Dear, where he turned out the lights in the council chambers and disconnected the recording video feed. Dear is also accused of changing the location of polling places where one

The issue seems to be (in part, at least) a fight over the plan to build a stadium for the Chargers and Raiders.

California: Mountain View school board member targeted by former board president

The Mountain View-Whisman School Board president Chris Chiang resigned and has decided to focus his new effort on recalling fellow trustee Steven Nelson. Chiang claims that Nelson harasses staff, teachers and the public.

California: Two Soquel Union School Board members targeted

Soquel Union School Board members Phil Rodriguez and Judy McGooden are facing petitions. Rodriguez already resigned as board president, but hasn't give up his seat. Petitioners would need 3132 signatures.

The website also calls for Sandra Wallace to step down. The school superintendent has already resigned.

Nebraska: Neligh mayor and city council facing petitions over annexation

Neligh Mayor Joe Hartz and councilmembers Stephanie Wanek, Ted Hughes, Leonard Miller and Dale Wilkins are all facing recall petitions (three after serving six months).  Petitioners will need 163 signatures for the councilmembers and 189 for the mayor (35% for the highest vote getter in the last election) and have 30 days to collect. The issue is their approval of an annexation.

Arizona: Follow-up impact of Clifton recall -- board dissolves itself

Last year, two Clifton school board members were bounced from office. Now, the replacements have voted to junk the whole system and dissolve the school district.

California: More on the Mark Stebbins recall

The LA Times weighs in on one of my favorite recalls from 1984. Guess I should have written an op-ed once the Rachel Dolezal story broke.

Maine: Op-ed calls for state-level recall

Here

Arizona: Camp Verde letter to the editor calling for petitioner pays recalls

Here

Arizona: Four Glendale councilmembers facing petitions over Phoenix Coyote vote

Recall petitions have been taken out against four council members, Ian Hugh, Lauren Tolmachoff, Bart Turner and Jaime Aldama, over their vote to terminate the lease of the Phoenix Coyotes. A real estate agent is leading the charge. The city may be holding a recall in November regardless against Councilman Gary Sherwood (over a separate issue).

Petitioners would need between 750 and 2200 signatures. The signatures needed for Mayor Jerry Weiers, 14,500, prevented petitions being taken out against him.

Missouri: Webster Groves recall attempted dropped

The recall attempt against Webster Groves Councilman Greg Mueller has been dropped after he talked with school board members. The recall started after two tax-hike propositions that Mueller opposed failed.

The monetary benefits of initiative politics

Here's the Center for Public Integrity's look at the subject

Connecticut: Former two-time Republican gubernatorial nominee calls for recall law

Tom Foley, who lost in 2010 and 2014, says he would run in a recall and regrets that the state doesn't have such a law.

Phillipines: Nueva Ecija Governor calls for abolition of recall

Nueva Ecija Governor Aurelio Umali has called for the removal of recall elections.

California: Interview with Mark Stebbins

Here's an interview with Mark Stebbins, from the "Weirdest recalls"  fame. As I mentioned on Twitter last week, it has great similarities to recent news surrounding Rachel Dolezal.

Washington: Arguments heard in Port of Vancouver Commissioner recall

The recall attempt against Port of Vancouver Commissioner Brian Wolfe is now going to be heard by Clark County Superior Court judge, with a decision due by Wednesday. The petitioner accuses Wolfe violating the public meetings law in discussing a closed-door executive sessions a lease for what would be the nation's largest rail-to-marine oil transfer terminal. There is also a a petition against Commissioner Jerry Oliver.

California: Lucerne Valley Board member facing petitions over social media posts

Lucerne Valley School Board member Dawn Turnbull, who was censured two times in four months, is facing recall threats. The recall committee is led by the woman who is dating Turnbull's estranged husband. Turnbull has posted negative commentary (calling one a pervert, commenting on physiques, etc) on school board members, administrators, community members, her husband and his girlfriend.

Petitioners need 716 signatures (25%) by August 7.

Arizona: Petitions turned in against Camp Verde council members

Signatures were handed against Camp Verde councilmembers Bruce George, Jessie Jones and Robin Whatley over their support for a .65% sales tax increase. Petitioner need 331 valids to get on the ballot. The petitioner already failed to oust Mayor Charlie German.

Colorado: A little story touching on Aspen DA recall in 2005

The article notes that it was the first successful DA recall in Colorado history (Colleen Truden was ousted).

Michigan: Election Board rejects petitions in Republic Township

Petitions against three Republic Township officials, Supervisor Gary Johnson, Treasurer Kristina Koski and Township Clerk Marilyn Brancheau, were rejected by the Election Board -- sounds like it is a clarity issue. The issue was maintaining the town's sewer system.

Nevada: North Las Vegas Judge files suit against recall

Kinda of a confusing suit, though it does take issue with the "random sampling" method of checking signatures. We'll see where this goes.

California: Moreno Valley council members hit with recalls over mega-warehouse project

Four Moreno Valley councilmembers have been hit with recalls -- Yxstian Gutierrez and Jeffrey Giba are facing recalls over their support for a mega-warehouse project. La Donna Jempson and George Price, who both won office due to a recall last year, are facing recalls from developers. The two officials who were ousted in last year's recall Victoria Baca and Tom Owings, were later not charged in a corruption investigation that had led to their recall effort.

California: Anti-Vaccine petitions start recall attempts against two state Senators

Petitions are being taken out against two state Senators; Senator Richard Pan (D- Sacramento) and Senator Bill Monning (D-Carmel) over their support for a bill (SB 277) that would require proof of vaccination before children can enroll in public schools and eliminate the personal belief exemption. Pan is a co-author of the bill, which passed the Senate 25-11.

Petitioners need 75,000 signatures to get the recall of Monning on the ballot.

Rhode Island: North Smithfield recall petitioners agree to list of reasons

A "bill of particulars" has been listed in the recall attempt against North Smithfield Town Administrator Paulette Hamilton, which include, among other things -- support for a charter school, working on the charter school during town time, and "unbridled chaos" (Great term!) in the tax assessor's office," bullying tactics, using 15 different alias to comment on a website and firing the town finance director by text!

Petitioners need 2990 signatures (30% of registereds) in 30 days.

Massachusetts: Hinsdale Police Chief firing found to be retaliatory by EEOC

The recall fight that came out of this firing is coming up this month.

Montana: Unofficial recall petition started against Libby Mayor

This is online, so will see if it gets any further. Here's some prior coverage detailing the issues.

Nevada: Signatures handed in for North Las Vegas Municipal Judge recall

Petitioners have handed in over 2700 signatures in the recall of North Las Vegas Municipal Judge Catherine Ramsey over wasting money and hostile environment (and other issues -- the first link is to an editorial calling for her removal). Petitioners need 1984 signatures, and due to Nevada's seemingly stringent signature requirements, there is a good chance that petitioners don't have enough signatures. If they do have the signatures, this could be the first recall of a judge in the country in a long time -- possibly since 1982.

Missouri: Ferguson recall signature failure rate over 50%, petitioners need over 800 more

Despite handing in 2133 signatures, the recall effort against Ferguson Mayor James Knowles seems quite a far way from happening -- 1125 were struck down (562 weren't registered in the County, 366 didn't live in Ferguson and 167 had other issues). Petitioners have only gathered 1008 signatures, though they have 10 more days to gather.

I mentioned this very high failure rate as a distinct possibility -- I saw some articles note that the signatures were handed in early, which seemed surprising (it was not clear if the petitioners checked the signatures beforehand. According to all the articles Knowles seems to accept the legal basis for the recall, which I've pointed out may not be clear cut at all.

Oregon: Fourth Democratic legislator facing recall over background check on gun transfers

State Senator Floyd Prozanski (D) is the fourth Oregon legislator to face recall petitions over background check legislation for guns, joining House Majority Leader Val Hoyle, Senator Chuck Riley and Representative Susan McLain. Petitioners need about 8700 signatures by September 4. The others are due by July 13 and 14.

Michigan: Three Rivers Board of Ed member resigns in face of recall effort

As the recall against three Three Rivers Board of Education members goes forward over the firing of school administrators, the fourth, David Kutz, has announced his resignation. Petitions have been approved against the three, Mike Bosma, Waneta Truckey and Carl Barth.

California: Antioch mayoral recall fails for the second time

The second effort to recall Mayor Wade Harper over his alleged soft on crime approach failed. Petitioners needed 8844 signatures. Doesn't sound like they handed any in.

Colorado: Denver DA facing petitions over report on death of teenager

Denver District Attorney Mitchell Morrissey is facing petitions after the release of a report on the police shooting of a teenager that exonerated the police. Morrissey is term-limited and the position and the position is up for reelection in 2016. Petitioners would need more than 100,000 signatures in 60 days.

Journal of Politics article on decline in congressional re-election rates

Here's the blurb on Election Law Blog and the article by Gary Jacobson. A fact worth monitoring as we see the recall success rates.

New Mexico: Op-ed celebrates failure of recall effort in Las Cruces

Here -- they are very happy that the recall didn't get on the ballot.

Nevada: New law makes recalls harder

A new law just signed by the governor requires that all recall petition signers must have actually voted in the election when the official got into office. This was in keeping with a recent Nevada Supreme Court decision.  Petition-gathers will also have to follow the financial/reporting requirements even if they don't get enough signatures. The cumulative effect will undoubtedly make recalls even harder and less likely in the Silver State (they were already rare there, do to the vagaries of the law).

North Carolina: Three Moore School Board members resign

Three of the five Moore School Board members, Kathy Farren, Ben Cameron and Sue Black, who were facing threats of a recall (the state legislature would have had to pass a bill for it to go forward) have resigned. The fight was over the firing of the school superintendent. The Superintendent has since been reinstated.

Arizona: Oro Valley recall target former original anchor at CNN

A little factoid about Lou Waters, one of the three Oro Valley Council members facing a recall

Michigan: Clarity hearing for three members of Marquette election commission

Marquette Township Supervisor Gary Johnson, Treasurer Kristina Koski and Clerk Marilyn Brancheau (all Democrats) have recall petitions against them before an election commission clarity hearing. Petitioners claim that they failed to keep the sewer system in good shape.

North Carolina: Moore County considers asking for special legislation enacting school board recalls

Here -- this is definitely a regular development in North Carolina.

Missouri: Town members debate Webster Grove recall effort

Here

Arizona: Santa Cruz School District recall collecting signatures

The issue appears to be the refusal to renew the contract of one of the teachers (and open meeting violations). Another teacher is the group treasurer of the Little Red Recall Committee, though neither of the leaders live in the district. Board members Ron Fish, Luis Munoz, Robert Noon, Delfina Tapia and clerk Mercie Fernandez are all being targeted. Petitioners need a little over 80 signatures.

Canada: MLA Recall gatherers not allowed on Hats Off day

Here

California: Yuba County recall misses deadline, must restart effort

This is against Supervisor Andy Vasquez.

Montana: Libby Mayor under fire over 2013 election law/residency requirement fight

Libby Mayor Doug Roll is facing an ethics investigation, and calls for a recall, over charges that he and the former City Attorney James Reintsma violated election laws before the 2013 election. The city filed a lawsuit against Roll's 2013 opponent, Allen Olsen, claiming that he didn't live in the city (a 2014 case held that he did). There was a motion to the delay the election, which was overruled, and Roll beat Olsen by 13 votes.

Oregon: Seven members of King City Civic Association Board up for July 7 recall

Seven members of the King City Civic Association Board are facing a recall vote on July 7 after bitter internal fighting. Crazy fight here as three board members resigned, and one of them (former Board President Jim Armour) is leading the recall fight. The seven facing the recall are Denny Gelfand, Joe Wilson, Paul Downing, Whitmarsh, Blair Wyatt, Terry Pittsley and Bill Barber, with the usual mix of reasons (spending money, not following rules, preference for pet projects),

Michigan: Four Three Rivers Board members facing recalls

Four Three Rivers School Board members, Carl Barth, Mike Bosma, David Kutz and Waneta Truckey, are all facing recall petitions following the non-renewal of the contracts of an athletic director, a middle school principal and an administrator. Three other board members are in their first term and no up for recalls.

Petitioners need 1165 signatures (25% of turnout for governor) in 60 days.

Rhode Island: North Smithfield Town Administrator tagged with recall

Here's a letter from the North Smithfield Town Administrator decrying efforts for a recall which she claims is about her support for a regional Mayoral Academy that would would allow school choice for several schools. Opponents claim that she violated the charter by agreeing to serve as chair of the board.

Arizona: Glendale council recall scheduled for November 3

The recall of Glendale councilman Gary Sherwood was approved by the city council for November 3. The recall will be a normal polling booth. The cost for an all mail ballot would be $46,531.88 and for a polling place one was $58,196.17,

Arizona: Signatures verified in Oro Valley Council recall

Oro Valley Council members Mary Snider, Lou Waters and Joe Hornat are facing a likely recall vote after the county election officials verified signatures. Recall is over the million dollar buyout of a country club..

California: Corruption investigation that led to recalls ends with no charges

Mayor Tom Owings and Councilwoman Victoria Baca, who were both kicked out of office last year, are complaining about the political corruption investigations that they said led to their ousters. On Monday, the DA and US Attorney both said that there will be no charges filed in the case.

Michigan: West Bloomfield petitions rejected for the fourth time

The West Bloomfield petitions were rejected for the fourth time on clarity and factual grounds, and this one is very notable. The petition stated the meeting started at 6:45. The board claimed that it started instead at 6:49.

New Jersey: Petitioners go to court to push Irvington recall fight

A petition in court is trying to restart the recall of Irvington Township MayorTony Vauss. The previous attempt to recall the mayor have been rejected by the Municipal Clerk due to his claim that the reasons are "not based in facts." The issues include a claim that Vauss forced a municipal employee to have sex in a township office, as well as rising crime and murder rates.

Louisiana: Symbolic Recall Governor Jindal movement pushes for online signatures

Here's a reporter that left-wing PAC MoveOn.org's petition calling for Governor Bobby Jindal's recall over a recent executive order on religious freedom and on environmental issues have led to 10,000 signatures on an online petition. The article correctly notes that this petition has no actual affect. The article could note that due to the difficulty of Louisiana law, there is very little chance of getting a gubernatorial recall on the ballot in that state.

Academic paper on drop-off in mayoral voter turnout

Lots of implications in this piece by Daniel Denvir in the Atlantic's CityLab