Mississippi: Proposal to add modified recall law for municipal officials

Legislation has been proposed by Representative Shanda Yates (I) to allow recall elections for municipal officials in Mississippi. The idea seems to have come about after fights between Jackson's Democratic Mayor and the Republican Governor over water problems in the city.

The article notes that recalls are allowed for county officials, but not muncipial ones. Generally, I (and others) consider Mississippi to be one of the few (10) states without any recall law at all. What the article is refering to is a provision where voters can petition the Governor to remove County officials Mississippi code 25-5-7. This is someone similar to Virginia's recall trial law, but because it's a Governor, it seems a step removed. 

The plan, which does not seem to be a constitutional amendment, would create a malfeasance standard. Petitioners would need the signatures of 30% of registered voters and, in a real innovation that I haven't seen elsewhere, the the governor would appoint three muncipial judges to decide if "there is a substantial basis for a recall election." Again, this is a code of the Mississippi County law. 

Making matters even harder, there is an absentee veto provision -- half of the voters in the city would have to vote for the recall to count. So, we'll see what happens here. 

Update: Note state Senator John Horhn refers to it as a "tall order" to pass.