California: Op-ed on Alameda County District Attorney recall -- and push for earlier elections

Here's an op-ed we wrote on the "recall roulette" that has been played in Alameda, with the clerk using a mix of both county and state rules (following Measure B) in the recall effort against Alameda DA Pamela Price, which could lead to legal challenges... which may be happening.

The recall proponents are pushing for a recall to be scheduled immediately, as they are concerned that the County Supervisors delay will push the date of the recall to Election Day (under the state law, the recall can be delayed 180 days if it can be tied into a regular Election Day). 

Price's attorney is arguing that the signatures needed to have been counted within 10 days, which we discuss in-depth. Price's supporters are also arguing that the recall should be tied with Election Day as a cost savings measure.

California: Petitions taken out against Fairfax officials

Petitions have been taken out against Fairfax Vice Mayor Lisel Blash and Councilmember Stephanie Hellman (the rest of the council is facing reelection). The issue seems to be their support for rent control and a development plan. 

Petitioners need about 1500 signatures in 90 days.

Maine: Milo Select Board members facing recall effort

Milo Select Board members Eric Foss, Susan Libby and Donald Banker are facing recall efforts over a conversation that they had in the hall (which was caught on tape) where they discuss personnel, including a push to remove the city manager. Under city rules, the meeting is a violation of the Open Meeting Act. 

Petitioners would need 10% of registered voters.

California: Report on funding for Orange Unified School Board recall

More than 85% of the donations in the Orange Unified School Board members recall were donated by individuals giving an average of about $450 (the rest was from the teachers' union). About 10% of the individual donors were worked in the school system. The total raised was $227,000 from about 400 people. 

On the other side of the ledger, the opponents of the recall was $260,000, with about a 1/3rd from 115 individual donors and the rest from conservative groups.   

Board members Madison Klovstad Miner (27,674-24,113) and Rick Ledesma (27,782-23,888) lost their races. The recall is over the firing of the school superintendent with no explanation.

The school board members were part of a conservative 4-3 majority and the firing was over complaints about policies to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and critical race theory.

Georgia: Athens Mayor calls for court to stop recall effort

Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz is asking a court to stop the the recall effort against Girtz and presumably those against Clarke County Sheriff John Q. Williams and Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez. Georgia is a Malfeasance Standard/Judicial Recall state, so it is not clear that they have the for cause requirement handled.

The recall moved past the initial stage, with petitioners needing 100 signatures minimum (They handed in 159 for Gonzalez, 126 for Williams and 118 for Girtz).

Petitioners have 45 days to collect 30% of registered voters in the last election for the office -- which will be over 5000 for each (each one has a different last election -- the DA was elected in a special election on December 1, 2020). Because this is registered voters, not turnout, having lower turnout in a special or municipal election wouldn't matter.

There are also threats of recall efforts against 10 district commissioners, though each must be launched from a petitioner in their own district. The first one, against Commissioner Melissa Link, failed as the lead petitioner does not live in that district.

The recall is over the high-profile murder of a nursing student by an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant that has grabbed national attention. In 2019, the county issued a statement on welcoming people from all lands and backgrounds as well as denouncing white nationalists and xenophobes. The lead petitioner is apparently well known after being charged in 2016 after he allegedly "became irate when his wife put too much cheese on his grilled cheese sandwich." 

Michigan: Grant Public School Board Members face May 7th recall

The recall election against two Grant Public Schools Board of Education members Rachal Gort and Richard Vance is set for May 7th.  There were also recall attempts against Sabrina Veltkamp-Bol and Ken Thorne (the other seat was opened). Petitioners are still attempting a recall against Veltkamp-Bol (Thorne is on the November ballot. 

The recall is over their votes to end a partnership with a health center that works in the middle school. The vote may have been because of a mural that features LGBTQ+ "witchcraft" and "Satan" imagery. The artist has stated the images are from video games and Hispanic culture. The superintendent also resigned, possibly under pressure.

Petitioners need 1091 in 60 days. 

Kosovo: Recalls of four mayors fails due to turnout requirement, as only 253 voters show up

The recall effort against four  mayors in the northern area of Kosovo (Mayors of Leposavic, Zubin Potok, Zvecan and North Mitrovica) on April 21 failed, as only 253 people showed up (out of 46,000 registered voters. They needed 50 percent turn out.

This seems to be a battle between the Prime Minister and the chief of the Srpska Lista party, Zlatan Elek over the vote. Western embassies weighed in and called on voters to vote in the recall and not boycott it.

New Mexico: Santa Fe Mayor facing recall threats

Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber is facing recall threats, as an "Inn on the Alameda" owner, who appears to complain about loud cars, put an ad in linking to an old Change.com petition. The change.com petition was over the destruction of Soldiers' Monument in 2020.

Petitioners would need over 8000 signatures to get a recall on the ballot. Here's a column noting the challenges that recall petitioners would face in the city.

Michigan: Petition language approved against Flint councilmember

Recall language was approved against Councilmember Dennis Pfeiffer, making him the third Flint Councilmember to have active petitions outstanding. There are also attempts many other officials in Flint. The claim against Pfeiffer is "conduct unbecoming a councilmember."

Petitions have also been approved against Flint Council President Ladel Lewi and Quincy Murphy.

Petitioners would need 883 signatures for Pfeiffer, 751 for Lewi and 513 for Murphy.

The recall seems to be over a long running battle, with the focus on a community grant program, approval of Brownfield Plans and how revenue is allocated.

A recall against Flint Councilmember Eva Worthing got on the ballot, but she has announced that she is not running in the May 7th vote.  

Worthing called out four other councilmembers, led by Eric Mays, against whom there were recall efforts. The four were Pfeiffer, Eric Mays, Jerri Winfrey-Carter and Tonya Burns.

The anti-Mays forces claim that Mays and another councilmember called a meeting that they others did not attend over the question of applying for a community grant program funding. Mays has also been charged with disorderly conduct for conduct at the council meetings that has apparently gone viral.

Recalls were also filed against councilmember Judy Priestley (with two filed against Priestly). Former Council President Allie Herkenroder already announced that she was resigning her seat last year. 

Oregon: Douglas County Republicans Recall six executive board members

Douglas County Republicans recalled six members from the executive board, Vice Chair Michaela Hammerson, delegates Todd Vaughn and Terry Noonkester and alternate delegates Cathye Curreri, Steve Hammerson and Loretta Johnson. It seems like the vote was 118-10. It seems like the removed members are accused of disrupting meetings and looking for primaries against sitting GOP elected officials. 

Florida: Mexico Beach Mayor ousted

Mexico Beach Mayor Michele Miller was ousted in a recall vote, 348-207. Miller has sued the City Council members for hiring the City Administrator and making the sole recordkeeper. The recall claims that she violated Sunshine laws.

Miller was replaced by Richard Wolff, who defeated Erik Fosshage 290-206.

A lawsuit against the recall claiming that the petition allegations are false was rejected. 

California: More wrangling over Alameda County DA recall

Some more follow-up articles on the Alameda District Attorney Pamela Price recall.

The campaign is pushing for a special election to take place before the November general election, though the article doesn't note if it is due to the charter provision requiring one in 35-40 days or the state law passed by Measure B giving 88-125 days (but extending to 180 if it can be tied in with a general election). 

Additionally, while still no word from the Clerk, the recall proponents have made it clear that they believe the odd "occupation" requirement is responsible for the high rejection rate, and if that were not included, there would be over 100,000 valid signatures. 

On the other side of the ledger, the Price campaign is arguing that the Registrar didn't verify in 10 days and that the fact that the county rejected the (likely unconstitutional) all signature-gatherers must be county residents provision should result in the recall be invalidated. 

Here's some other articles which include my comments:

Illinois: Referendum started for Chicago Mayoral Recall law

A new push is on to put a referendum on the November 5 ballot to adopt a Mayoral Recall law in Chicago. Petitioners would need 56,464 signatures by August 5. 

California: Calexico Councilmembers trailing badly in recall votes

Councilmembers Raul Urena and Gilberto Manzanarez  appear to have lost their April 16 recall election (it was a special), though new votes can be coming in. Right now, Urena is losing 2774-974 and Manzanarez is down, 2709-1022, both losing with more than 72% against. 

The issue is a claim of poor leadership, though one of the big issues is that Urena was Calexico's first transgendered mayor and has pushed for progressive-focused policies. 

Mayor Gloria Romo, who is an ally of Urena and Manzanerez) has been served with recall petitions as well moments after taking the job. 

The Los Angeles Times has a deep look at the Calexico recall fight (with some of my comments included).

Louisiana: Petitions taken out against St. Tammany Parish Coroner

Petitioners have been taken out against St. Tammany Parish Coroner Christopher Tape, who refused to step down before his term begins. 

Petitioners are now claiming that they will start a recall effort against him. The recall is over sex abuse allegations that were dismissed in 2003 over a claim of a violation of a right to a speedy trial. Tape was fired by the previous coroner over claims of violating the confidentiality policy.

Petitioners need more than 38,000 signatures to get on the ballot.

10 years ago, St. Tammany Parish Coroner Peter Galvan resigned during recall efforts over theft.

California: Alameda District Attorney recall makes the ballot

It looks like the recall is a go in Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, though let's expect a bumpy ride ahead. Alameda County Registrar of Voters announced that the petitioners got enough signatures to make the ballot. Petitioners handed in 123,374 signatures and got 74,757 valids. They needed 73,195.

First, a word on the success (or failure) rate. The 60.5% validation rate seems low and we have not seen a breakdown yet. But (from what I've heard) it appears that the reason for the failures may be due to the Alameda charter law that requires signers to state an occupation. So it may be under normal rules, the signature total would be much higher, which would limit a lawsuit here. 

Unfortunately, the press release also doesn't explain why they tossed out signatures (which is pretty critical). Price's team was discussing a challenge over out of district signature gatherers (banned by the county law). The problem is that a Supreme Court decision, Buckley v. ACLF seems to wipe out that provision. Note that recalls are considered a ballot measure by California rules (though not by any case that I know of -- the question is an important for campaign finance issues). 

Also unknown is if Price's team would try to use signature strike effort, whereby signers can withdraw their signature from the petitions (that law was adopted in 2017). This is not provided for under the old charter, but it would be interesting to see if they would try it. The existing charter also has a 10 day cure period (the language is unclear) if the signatures don't meet the requirements, so if there is a challenge, the petitioners would presumably be able to try and get more signatures. 

There are other possible challenges that could be made. Alameda Charter required that the signatures be fully counted in 10 days. The county used a statistical sampling method, which the state law for localities (though not for state-level officials) allows for the sample method, Alameda does not seem to have any such provision. Alameda's Measure B, adopting this law (full discussion of what the law does here), but it seems like it was not  operative for the counting. It's not clear to me why they were allowed to do the sampling method, but it's possible that no one will challenge, so that is that. 

There are other areas for potential lawsuits, including when the recall will actually be scheduled and whether or not there is a replacement race or instead that the Supervisors appoint a successor. This depends on whether or not Measure B or the old charter is the operative law. But let's see what happens 

Michigan: Flint Councilmember not running to defend seat in recall election on May 7

Flint Councilmember Eva Worthing has announced that she is not running in the upcoming recall (May 7th) and will be replaced by one of the other candidates running. The recall, which is part of internal battle in the council, with numerous recalls filed, though only Worthing got to the ballot. 

Worthing called out four other councilmembers, led by Eric Mays, against whom there were recall efforts. The four were Dennis Pfeiffer, Eric Mays, Jerri Winfrey-Carter and Tonya Burns (recall were filed against Pfeiffer and Mays).

The recall is over claims that Mays and another councilmember called a meeting that they others did not attend over the question of applying for a community grant program funding. Mays has also been charged with disorderly conduct for conduct at the council meetings that has apparently gone viral.

There is also claims about approving a Brownfield Plan.

Four recall efforts have been filed against Flint Council President Ladel Lewi. Two were filed against councilmember Judy Priestley (with two filed against Priestly). Former Council President Allie Herkenroder already announced that she was resigning her seat last year. 

Florida: Signatures handed in against Coral Gables mayor

The first round of signatures have been handed in against Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, with 1719 handed in and they need 1649 (5% of the registered voters). If they pass, they will need another 5000 to get through the second round of signatures. 

The recall is over the firing of the City Manager and complaints by a commissioner of a "cesspool of public corruption." Lago opposed the ouster of the City Manager. An election last year of two opposition Commissioners has put Lago on the outs with the majority of the commission.

Lago has been the subject of Miami Herald investigative pieces of his ties to a developer who is the subject of federal investigations.

Louisiana: Elton Mayoral recall to be held on April 27

After multiple lawsuits, the recall election against Elton Mayor Kesia Skinner-Lemoine will be taking place on April 27. The issue is a claim of election irregularities and fraud.

This recall effort is following the failure of the first attempt at recalling, which collapsed in spectacular fashion, with only one of the 322 signatures handed in approved. In the second effort, petitioners handed in 252 signatures and got 249 valids. They needed 245 valids.  A judge has once again rejected the attempt to toss out the election

Michigan: Hillsdale Mayoral recall effort ends

The recall effort against Hillsdale Mayor Adam Stockford has ended, with the petitioner rescinding her efforts. They would have needed 620 signatures to get to the ballot. The reason was because he votes against street projects. 

Washington University of St. Louis: Speaker of Student Union Senate survives recall

 The Speaker of the Washington University of St. Louis Student Union Senate survived a recall vote (53.12% in her favor), with high turnout. The recall was over claims of abuse of power and a culture of fear. She posted numerous anti-Semitic and anti-Indian comments.

Harvard: One Undergraduate Student ousted in recall vote

One of the two HUA (Harvard Undergraduate Association) co-presidents was ousted in a recall vote, 1549-211, with 88% voting for removal. The turnout was much higher than the regular election the week before (305 more votes).

The recall effort was after he was expelled from a club; Not sure what the other one is about. Apparently, Harvard has a rule that a position can face only one recall per term, which is interesting in that this is a "co-president" position.

Wisconsin: Election Commission reports Assemly Speaker Vos recall fails

The first recall attempt against Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has failed, with the Wisconsin Election Commission announcing that the recall would have failed under either his new or old district (see below for a discussion).

The petitioners needed 6850 under the old district, and they got only 4989. In the new district, they needed 7195 and got 3053. The Wisconsin Supreme Court refused to rule on which district counted. They apparently handed in 11000.

Petitioners have launched another recall effort.

The Wisconsin Election Commission previously announced that the first recall will not make the ballot, as petitioners seem to have fallen 945 signatures short.  

The Daily Kos has a good explanation for the challenge of deciding what district Vos is a part of (this is after the old districts were tossed out by the State Supreme Court). 

Vos, a long-time fixture of this blog, is facing the recall over his refusal to support Trump during the attempt to overthrow the 2020 election results and the decision to drop impeachment efforts against Wisconsin's Election Commission Chair Meagan Wolfe as she has refused to push for the discredited claims of election fraud.

Vos almost lost in 2022 after refusing to back the election fraud claims. Former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who has previously targeted Vos, had called for his recall if he didn't support the impeachment of Wolfe. 

California: Los Angeles Times deep dive on Calexico recalls

The Los Angeles Times has a deep look at the Calexico recall fight (with some of my comments included).

Former Mayor (it seems like they switch the position among city councilmembers), Councilmember Raul Urena and Gilberto Manzanarez (who was named Vice Mayor) have a recall that has been set for April 16.

The issue is a claim of poor leadership, though one of the big issues is that Urena was Calexico's first transgendered mayor and has pushed for progressive-focused policies. 

Mayor Gloria Romo, who is an ally of Urena and Manzanerez) has been served with recall petitions as well moments after taking the job. 

Kosovo: April 21 recall of mayors leads to debate over law

A bit confusing here, but it looks like there is an attempt to recall mayors in the northern area of Kosovo on April 21, though there is some battle between the Prime Minister and the chief of the Srpska Lista party, Zlatan Elek over the vote. Apparently, more than 50% of voters have to vote for removal. 

Update: Western embassies seem to be weighing in and calling on voters to vote in the recall and not boycott it.

History of the Recall Election -- Did San Diego have the law before Los Angeles?

I'm not sure why this didn't get posted three years ago, but better late than never.

As we've discussed before, it is believed that the recall returned to America's political stage in 1903, when Los Angeles adopted the law for their charter (the vote was actually on December 1, 1902, but the State legislature ratified it on January 22, 1903). However, there has been reports that other jurisdictions' had the law before. Thomas Cronin mentions that some other localities in California had it before (hat tip to this article from Rod Farmer), though he did not remember what they were. But none of the contemporary writers seemed to mention them. 

In this article about recalls in Raleigh, North Carolina, Gerry Cohen discovers that San Diego had it in their 1889 charter. Note that Bird & Ryan mention that San Diego adopted the law in 1905, so I cannot explain this discrepancy. It's another one of those mysteries surrounding the recall. 

Florida: Judge hasn't ruled on Mexico Beach Mayor recall suit

A lawsuit by Mexico Beach Mayor Michele Miller claiming that the petition allegations are false has not had a decision come down, and it sounds like it won't until after the April 16 recall date. 

Miller has sued the City Council members for hiring the City Administrator and making the sole recordkeeper. The recall claims that she violated Sunshine laws.

Update: It seems like the recall is moving forward, though the case will be decided later.

Alaska: Juneau School Board members facing petitions

Juneau Board of Education President Deedie Sorensen and VP Emil Mackey are facing petitions over a $7.9 million budget deficient, caused by what petitioners claim are accounting errors, though a district consolidation plan seems to be the big issue. Petitioners tried to include the consolidation plan in the petition, but was rejected because of the state's malfeasance standard (though even that may be easily surmounted due to recent court cases).  

Petitioners need 2359 signatures to get on the ballot. The recall could cost $105,000.

Michigan: Hillsdale Mayor facing petitions

Petitions have been taken out against Hillsdale Mayor Adam Stockford. Petitioners need 620 signatures to get to the ballot. The reason is because he votes against street projects. 

Georgia: Two Macon Township Board members ousted; Trustee resigns

Macon Township Board Supervisor Lee Wagner (R) and Trustee Ed Clark (R) both lost recall races. Wagner lost to Den Montrief (I) 399-329, and Clark lost to Joe Rine (I) 404-324.

Trustee Beth Loesch was also targeted, but resigned in the face of the recall. 

The recall was over their support for the construction of a large solar farm (known as the Mustang Mile). 

Oregon: Recall of four Elsie-Vinemaple Rural Fire Protection Board members set for April 30

A recall election against four members of the Elsie-Vinemaple Rural Fire Protection District Board, Chair Vivian McCann and members Thoms Hecox, Staciy Morrison and Wayne Carmichael is scheduled for April 30 as a special election. 

The recall is over a vote to remove the fire chief.

Canada: Petitions taken out against Calgary Mayor

The due date for the Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek recall has passed and it will be 45 days until an announcement is made. However, the recall clearly failed, as the lead petitioner stated that he submitted 72,271 signatures and they needed 514,284.

The recall was seemingly over the single-use plastic law, though there is also a kitchen sink listing of complaints as well. This is the first recall attempt in Calgary (the law was adopted province-wide in 2022).

Ohio: Bellville Mayor threatened with recall

Bellville Mayor Teri Brenkus is facing threats of a recall over a personal relationship with a co-worker. Bellville has a year grace period, so Brenkus can't face a recall until her term hits the year mark (she herself is in her eighth year in office). 

Michigan: Petition language approved against Onaway School Board Members

After an appeal, new petitions have  been approved in the recall effort against Onaway Board of Education President James Rieger and Trustee John Palmer. The recall seems to be about their setting up a "Hillsdale-style charter school." A recall effort against VP Erin Chaskey was rejected. 

There is also an attempt to recall Secretary Lorrie Kowalski, though it sounds like she is part of a different county and that board has to be approve the language.

Colorado: Recall election set for Aguilar Mayor and Trustee

A recall election has been set for Aguilar Mayor Donald Gonzalez and Trustee Marc Piano. The story is locked behind a paywall, but hopefully we'll find out more info soon.

Wisconsin: Supreme Court refuses to rule on what maps in place for Assembly Speaker recall

The Wisconsin State Supreme Court has refused to rule on what district map should be used for the recall effort against Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R). The court previously threw out all the district maps, but it is not clear who could sign for the recall and which district a recall would take place in. It's not clear how this would work and sound like the court is really hoping this goes away (which it is likely to do).

Georgia: Athens Mayor, Clarke County Sheriff and Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney recall passes first stage

The recall effort against Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz, Clarke County Sheriff John Q. Williams and Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez has moved past the initial stage, with petitioners needing 100 signatures minimum (They handed in 159 for Gonzalez, 126 for Williams and 118 for Girtz).

Petitioners now have 45 days to collect 30% of registered voters in the last election for the office -- which will be over 5000 for each (each one has a different last election -- the DA was elected in a special election on December 1, 2020). Because this is registered voters, not turnout, having lower turnout in a special or municipal election wouldn't matter.

There are also threats of recall efforts against 10 district commissioners, though each must be launched from a petitioner in their own district. The first one, against Commissioner Melissa Link, failed as the lead petitioner does not live in that district.

The recall s over the high-profile murder of a nursing student by an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant that has grabbed national attention. Georgia is a Malfeasance Standard/Judicial Recall state, so it is not clear that they have the for cause requirement handled.

In 2019, the county issued a statement on welcoming people from all lands and backgrounds as well as denouncing white nationalists and xenophobes. The lead petitioner is apparently well known after being charged in 2016 after he allegedly "became irate when his wife put too much cheese on his grilled cheese sandwich." 

Missouri: Columbia Councilmember ousted in recall vote

Columbia City Councilmember Nick Knoth was ousted in an April 2 recall, 531-394. The recall election took place on the with the regularly scheduled municipal election day. A replacement race hasn't been scheduled, but it looks like it won't take place before August. 

The recall was over claims that his recent acceptance of a position as a Director of Government Affairs & Regional Advocacy with the Missouri Association of REALTORS is a conflict of interest, has enough signatures to make the ballot.

Petitioners handed in 421 signatures and (it seems) 370 were verified. They needed 336. 

The last recall in Columbia was Councilmember Chester Edwards in 1990, though one official resigned in the face of a recall in 2015. 

Oklahoma: Enid Commissioner ousted over attendance at "Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally

Enid City Commissioner Judd Blevins has been ousted in the April 2 recall election, losing to Cheryl Patterson 829-561 (59.64% against). The turnout was much higher than in Blevins original election.

The recall was over claims that he was the state coordinator for a white nationalist group (Identity Evropa, which was renamed American Identity Movement) and whether he was at the Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally. Blevins apologized at a November 21 meeting where the council tabled a censure motion and disavowed any racist group, though he then moved to a different approach, where he defended marching.

California: Shasta County Supervisor survives recall vote

Shasta County Supervisor Kevin Crye survived the primary election day recall by 50 votes (4666-4716).

The recall was over the vote to cancel a voting systems contract with Dominion Voting and requiring handcounting, which will cost the county millions. This is part of the fight in Shasta and Crye seems to be connected to the far right groups, one of whom led the successful recall of Supervisor Leonard Moty.

The recall got the ballot after petitioners handed in 5104 signatures and 4929 were verified. They need 4151 valids to get on the ballot. Supervisors questioned the small rejection rate.  

Supporters in Shasta County asked that Governor Gavin Newsom not appoint a replacement if Crye is ousted in a recall and instead allow the voters to choose. As a reminder, in 2022, the state changed the law for local officials who lose a recall election. In that case (unless there is a local law from a charter city), the new law eliminates a replacement election and instead uses an automatic replacement model (with the governor or a specified body making the choice of replacements). The law also explains why there is such a long timeframe until the recall is held (it allows a longer timeframe to tie recalls to general election dates).

Canada: Alberta Premier considering changes to recall law

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is considering changes to the recall law over complaints about the difficult of getting a recall on the ballot. this is coming after petitions have been taken out against Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek seemingly over the single-use plastic law, though there is also a kitchen sink listing of complaints as well. This is the first recall attempt in Calgary (the law was adopted province-wide in 2022). Petitioners need 514,284 signatures (40% of total voters) to get on the ballot, which is more than the number of voters in the last municipal election.

California: California State University Student Government President facing recall effort

California State University Long Beach Associated Students Inc. President Mitali Jain is facing a recall effort. 

Nebraska: Crawford Mayor recall makes the ballot

The recall of Crawford Mayor Tom Phillips has made the ballot, with petitioners handing in at least 137 valids. 

The recall effort is the second one, after the first attempt was restarted because the County Clerk gave the wrong number of signatures needed.

The clerk thought it was 35% of the total that Phillips received in his election, though it is 35% of the absolute total of votes cast for the office. The new number is 137, and it was previously thought to be 75.

Petitioners are claiming that he does not live in Crawford and that he has a conflict of interest, as his wife is a book-keeper for a city-owned golf course. Petitioners need 75 signatures by February 2nd.

Crawford has a mayoral recall in 2021 against Connie Shell (who lost to Phillips), which the official survived. The signatures were incorrect at that time as well. 

New Jersey: Sussex County Commissioner facing recall effort

A recall campaign has been started against Sussex County Commissioner Bill Hayden (R), with the County GOP signing on to the effort. Hayden is accused of claiming that he was a Navy Seal.

Harvard: Two Student Government officials facing recall efforts

Two HUA (Harvard Undergraduate Association) co-presidents are facing a recall effort after he was expelled from a club; Not sure what the other one is about. Apparently, Harvard has a rule that a position can face only one recall per term, which is interesting in that this is a "co-president" position.

Wisconsin: Second recall attempt against Assembly Speaker

After seeming to fail on their first attempt, petitioners are now launching another recall effort against Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.

The previous attempt is still in the courts over claims of fraudulently signed names. The Wisconsin Election Commission announced that the first recall will not make the ballot, as petitioners seem to have fallen 945 signatures short. They handed in 11,000 and needed about 7K, so that is a really bad result -- unless due a new question about the districting (which the Supreme Court is now going to rule on). Vos is claiming that there were 300-400 duplicates and half the signatures came from outside the eligible area.

The Daily Kos has a good explanation for the challenge of deciding what district Vos is a part of (this is after the old districts were tossed out by the State Supreme Court). 

Vos, a long-time fixture of this blog, is facing the recall over his refusal to support Trump during the attempt to overthrow the 2020 election results and the decision to drop impeachment efforts against Wisconsin's Election Commission Chair Meagan Wolfe as she has refused to push for the discredited claims of election fraud.

Vos almost lost in 2022 after refusing to back the election fraud claims. Former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who has previously targeted Vos, had called for his recall if he didn't support the impeachment of Wolfe. 

New Jersey: Toms River pulls back law that was facing recall effort

A law to restructure Toms Rivers Police Department and hire EMTs was voted down by the council (though the mayor is pushing ahead with the plan). Over 5000 signatures were handed in to push for a recall of the law, they needed 3000.

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UK: Scottish Parliament considers recall

The Scottish Parliament is now considering adopting a recall bill, following the revelation that former Health Secretary Michael Matheson racked up an 11K pound bill for roaming charges on his iPad during a vacation. Matheson refuses to resign.

UK: Another MP resigns in the face of recall effort

One more MP is gone thanks to the recall. MP Scott Benton (Conservative) resigned after being suspended for telling an undercover reporter he'd break lobbying rules for money. Benton has a 35 day suspension ahead and has already been suspended from the Conservative Party. The seat is a close one, so not a good sign for the Conservatives (Labour has done well in recent recalls). Petitioners needed over 10,000 signatures to get on the ballot.

As with other recalls in UK, a suspension of 10 days from Parliament leads to the ability to start a recall petition. If enough signatures are gathered, the official is automatically removed and a by-election is scheduled. 

California: Petitions approved against California Governor

Petitions have been approved in another recall attempt against California Governor Gavin Newsom. This time focused on the budget deficit and Newsom's role as a campaign surrogate for President Joe Biden. This is the seventh attempt filed against Newsom (including the recall he defeated). 

Petitioners would need 1,311,963 signatures by September 3 to get to the ballot. This is significantly less than the 1,495,709 needed last time (the reason for the drop off is a drop off in voting for governor between the 2018 and 2022 races. The number needed is 12% of turnout).

Newsom is nowhere near the record holder for recall attempts agianst. Unsurprisingly, Jerry Brown is the California State Record holder, with 12 (including AG recall attempts). The Duke (Deukmejian) had 11, Wilson had 8, Schwarzenegger had 7. The immortal Cuthbert Olsen had 5, Pat Brown 3 and Gray Davis only had 3. Supreme Court Chief Justice Rose Bird had 9 -- but was kicked out in retention election, not a recall.

Virgin Islands: Supreme Court tosses lawsuit by former Senator over whether official can be expelled absent a recall

The Virgin Islands Supreme Court has tossed out a lawsuit by former Senator Steven Payne Sr. who was expelled for sexual harassment. Payne argued that he could only be removed by a recall vote. 

California: UC Santa Barbara Student Body President facing recall effort led by anti-Semitic groups

UC Santa Barbara Student Body President Tessa Veksler, who has faced a wave of anti-Semitic comments by supporters of the October 7th massacre of Jews, is facing a recall effort. Petitioners need signatures from 10% of voters 327 signatures).

Update: Petitioners handed in 844 signatures, but the recall effort was rejected by the Senate. 

Louisiana: Petitions set to be taken out against St. Tammany Parish Coroner

With St. Tammany Parish Coroner Christopher Tape refusing to step down before his term begins, petitioners are now claiming that they will start a recall effort against him. Tape is facing the recall threat over sex abuse allegations that were dismissed in 2003 over a claim of a violation of a right to a speedy trial. Tape was fired by the previous coroner over claims of violating the confidentiality policy.

Petitioners would need more than 37,000 signatures to get on the ballot.

10 years ago, St. Tammany Parish Coroner Peter Galvan resigned during recall efforts over theft.

Michigan: New petitions taken out against Marquette Area Public School Board members

New petitions have been taken out against Marquette Area Public School Board Member Jennifer Klipp and Jennifer Ray over their vote to remove the high school team nicknames Redmen and Redette, due to their offensive nature. The petition is officially about complaint about expenses, though it seems to be about the name change. Petitioners need 3697 signatures to get on the ballot.

An earlier petition failed to get out of the clarity/factualness hearing. 

Wisconsin: Assembly Speaker Vos continues to assail recall effort, Supreme Court to weigh in

There are now claims that the recall effort against Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has fraudulently signed names, as Vos is once again pushing to change the recall law to a malfeasance standard/judicial recall one. 

The Wisconsin Election Commission announced that the recall against  will not make the ballot, as petitioners seem to have fallen 945 signatures short. They handed in 11,000 and needed about 7K, so that is a really bad result -- unless due a new question about the districting (which the Supreme Court is now going to rule on). Vos is claiming that there were 300-400 duplicates and half the signatures came from outside the eligible area.

The Daily Kos has a good explanation for the challenge of deciding what district Vos is a part of (this is after the old districts were tossed out by the State Supreme Court). 

Nebraska: October recall leads to surprising results, as ousted officials appointed to other city jobs

The October 10 recall of Brownville Trustees Natisha Helmick-Winkelman and Terry Vice and the resignation of Trustee Bailey Bindle has led to some interesting results. The two ousted members were appointed to newly created jobs (parks superintendent and utility superintendent and deputy clerk), which is seen as an insult to the residents (the town 140 people).

The issue for the recall was the departure of the water operator and the replacement with Winkelman as well as members being paid $25/hour for village tasks.

Colorado: Two Cherokee Metro District Board set for recall vote on June 4

Recalls against two Cherokee Metropolitan District Board members, Steve Hasbrouck and Linda Keleher, have gotten to the June 4 ballot as a standalone special election. The issue is water quality (the hardness of water wearing out household appliances). 

Petitioners handed in 437 signatures, and (apparently) 428 were verified. Petitioners needed 300.

Ohio: Petitions taken out against University Heights Mayor

Petitions have been taken out against University Heights Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan. Petitioners claim it is over inappropriate behavior and defamation as well as a host of other complaints. Brennan argues that it is over the celebration of Juneteenth, which he claims are pushing to turn it into "Diversity Day" while Brennan notes that Juneteenth is a federal holiday, though petitioners deny this.

Petitioners need 1177 signatures in 100 days. 

California: LA Times editorial complains about "undemocratic" recall law

The LA Times is banging the drum on the "undemocratic" nature of the recall -- that the Governor and other state officials can be replaced by someone who wins with a smaller vote total than the official they are replacing and calling for the adoption of a Constitutional Amendment to change the law. The amendment would use either the automatic replacement/by-law replacement (the Lieutenant Governor steps in when there is the removal of the Gov) or what apparently is now seen as the vastly more democratic model of having the governor appoint a replacement. If the governor is removed in the first two years, there's a special election after some time; if it is the last two years, then the LG serves out the term. The special would be an additional cost that takes place after the recall -- which may actually result in even lower turnout. 

As I've written before, this is just begging for disaster. First, it can lead to targeted recalls to remove an official and have an automatic replacement take over without the challenging of running for the seat. In California, where the LG is separately elected (and, prior to the 2000s, frequently from the other party), there may be a desire to test this. The other very likely option would be a multi-official recall, so no appointment will work (and it can just float down to the legislature or lower). If you believe this is unlikely, note that in Wisconsin, the Lieutenant Governor faced just such a recall simply under the concern that the law would be used in such a way that the LG would move up to the Governor's seat in case of a recall. 

One model that is not discussed that would I would recommend to solve the problem is the Queen of the Hill rules that Idaho uses. Under that scenario, the recall does not succeed unless the vote total tops the vote received by the official in the original election. 

California: Woodland School Board Member ousted in Primary Day recall

We still don't have final numbers, but it seems clear that Woodland School Board Member Emily McDonald was ousted in the March 5 recall -- so far it is 892-510. The recall is over statements she made opposing the school's on transgender policy.

Petitioners handed in 1349 signatures (not sure how many were verified) and got 1078. 

California: Alameda DA backers claim signature fraud in recall effort

Following the report that the signature counting is still ongoing, there are now accusations of signature fraud by backers of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. The claims of fraud seem to be focused on non-county petition gatherers (which may be why the recall did not make the ballot and is likely an unconstitutional measure), petitions being left unattended and luring signers to sign an unrelated petition. 

Idaho: Kamiah Mayor recall makes the ballot

The recall of Kamiah Mayor Betty Heater has made the ballot. The issue is complaints of fiscal mismanagement and lack of administrative control. No word on timing or how many signatures were needed.

Kamiah faced a recall effort against Councilmembers in 2019 due to their opposition to Heater. The recalls failed due to an administrative ruling after signatures were handed in.

Oklahoma: Enid Commissioner recall scheduled for April 2

The upcoming recall of Enid City Commissioner Judd Blevins has been scheduled for April 2. Cheryl Patterson is running against him.

Petitioners handed in almost 350 signatures and needed a little over 200. They seemed to have gotten 276 valids. 

The recall is over claims that he was the state coordinator for a white nationalist group (Identity Evropa, which was renamed American Identity Movement) and whether he was at the Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally. Blevins apologized at a November 21 meeting where the council tabled a censure motion and disavowed any racist group, though he seems to be taking a very different approach now.

Canada: Alberta Recall rules facing complaints and discussion of changes

Alberta's Government is discussing potential changes to the recall law, with Wetaskiwin Mayor Tyler Gandam, who is facing a recall and is president of Alberta Municipalities, calling for a malfeasance standard. 

Currently, petitioners need to pay $500 and collect 40% of signatures in 60 days. There are grace periods for 18 months after a victory and January 1 to election on the year of the election.

In addition to a malfeasance standard, there is some discussion that the 40% signature rule is too low in small towns. 

So far only one recall has gotten to the ballot, in Ryley, where the official did not stand for the election, and there has been 11 attempts. 

Nebraska: Two Brule Village Board Members survive vote

Brule Village Board Members Michael Gibson and Brian McNeff survived a March 12 recall vote, with 60 percent in their favors. Three board members resigned last year.

The recall was alleged to be about a kitchen sink of complaints including disliking officials and jeopardizing water testing. McNeff claimed it was an attempt to prevent an investigation of the village clerk. The village defaulted on a bond payment which McNeff blamed on the clerk (who has since resigned).

California: Supertight race in Shasta County won't be decided till March 22 -- Supervisor currently surviving recall

The recall results in Shasta County will have to wait until March 22 before new numbers are announced. Currently, Supervisor Kevin Crye is surviving the recall by what looks like 56 votes (4527-4573) with about 900 still to be counted. 

The recall is over the vote to cancel a voting systems contract with Dominion Voting and requiring handcounting, which will cost the county millions. This is part of the fight in Shasta and Crye seems to be connected to the far right groups, one of whom led the successful recall of Supervisor Leonard Moty.

The recall got the ballot after petitioners handed in 5104 signatures and 4929 were verified. They need 4151 valids to get on the ballot. Supervisors questioned the small rejection rate.  

Supporters in Shasta County asked that Governor Gavin Newsom not appoint a replacement if Crye is ousted in a recall and instead allow the voters to choose. As a reminder, in 2022, the state changed the law for local officials who lose a recall election. In that case (unless there is a local law from a charter city), the new law eliminates a replacement election and instead uses an automatic replacement model (with the governor or a specified body making the choice of replacements). The law also explains why there is such a long timeframe until the recall is held (it allows a longer timeframe to tie recalls to general election dates).

Florida: Petitions taken out against Coral Gables mayor

Petitions have been taken out against Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago following the firing of the City Manager and complaints by a commissioner of a "cesspool of public corruption." Lago opposed the ouster of the City Manager. An election last year of two opposition Commissioners has put Lago on the outs with the majority of the commission.

Lago has been the subject of Miami Herald investigative pieces of his ties to a developer who is the subject of federal investigations.

Texas: Dallas City Council member facing recall threats

Dallas City Council member Jaynie Schultz is facing recall threats about her support for a redevelopment project. Petitioners need about 7200 signatures to make the ballot. 

Michigan: Fourth Recall attempt filed against Flint Council President

Once more into the breech in Flint, as a fourth recall effort was filed against Flint Council President Ladel Lewi. 

In February, petitioners handed in 1099 signatures and needed 751. They got 629 valids, (strangely they originally had 574 -- not clear what happened).

An earlier effort said petitioners missed out by 63 signatures. 1022 were handed in and 722 were validated. They needed 785. However, the clerk's office originally misplaced six pages, which led to a second count and the close numbers. 

Previously, the recall of Flint Councilmember Eva Worthing has gotten on the ballot, as petitioners handed in 546 valid signatures and needed 510. The recall is scheduled for May 7. 

There have also been attempted recalls against Dennis Pfeiffer, Eric Mays and Judy Priestley (with two filed against Priestly). Herkenroder already announced that she is resigning her seat. No word on the other efforts.

The recall is over claims that Mays and another councilmember called a meeting that they others did not attend over the question of applying for a community grant program funding. Mays has also been charged with disorderly conduct for conduct at the council meetings that has apparently gone viral.

There is also claims about approving a Brownfield Plan.

California: Sunol Glen School Board members recall makes the ballot

The recall effort against Sunol Glen School Board Trustees Ryan Jergensen and Linda Hurley has made the ballot and is scheduled as a special election on July 2. The recall is after the board voted to limit the school to only flying US or California state flags. The school flew a pride flag during Pride Month. 

Petitioners handed in 307 signatures for Jergensen and got 300 valids; 306 handed in for Hurley, with 301 valids. They needed 246 signatures to get on the ballot.

Update: A judge rejected an attempt to throw out the recall.

California: Two Orange Unified School Board members ousted in recall vote

While we're still waiting for the final numbers, Orange Unified School Board members Madison Klovstad Miner (27,369-23,877) and Rick Ledesma (27,472-23,659) have both lost their races with down 53-47%. The recall is over the firing of the school superintendent with no explanation.

The school board members are part of a conservative 4-3 majority and the firing was over complaints about policies to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and critical race theory.

California: Alameda County Reports District Attorney Signatures need to go to full handcount

Alameda County Registrar of Voters has announced that a random sampling method of checking the signatures in the Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price recall effort has not led to a conclusive answer on whether they have enough signatures to make the ballot. The Registrar will now be counting by hand (Props to the Registrar's office for handling it during an election!). However, this leads to some questions. 

Petitioners handed in 123,374 signatures and they need 73,195 valids. Alameda Charter required that the signatures be fully counted in 10 days. The state law for localities (though not for state-level officials) allows for the sample method -- however, Alameda does not seem to have any such provision. Alameda's Measure B, adopting this law (full discussion of what the law does here), seems to be passing, but it is not official and therefore would not appear to be operative. It's not clear to me why they were allowed to do the sampling method, but it's possible that no one will challenge, so that is that. 

The random sampling method that the state uses -- and presumably Alameda uses, though it is not spelled out in the press release -- takes place when there are more than 500 signatures submitted for the recall. Clerks take a 5% sampling of the signatures and determine the number of valid signatures handed in. They then extrapolate -- they multiply the verification rate by the number of total signatures. If the number that comes out leads to valid signatures that would top 110 percent of the minimum number (I believe that would be 80,515 -- 110% X 73,195), the recall automatically qualifies and moves to the ballot. If it is below 90 percent (I believe 65,876), it automatically fails.

If it falls in the golden zone between 90-110 percent, they then hand-verify each signature. Note that the Sonoma County D.A. recall came in at 108%, requiring the manual recount and the LA District Attorney recall came in at 99%. The Sonoma one made the ballot (though the DA easily survived the vote), the LA one ultimately failed. 

Unfortunately, the memo doesn't provide any guidance on how many signatures were checked or what was the verification rate in their sampling method. The LA County Registrar provided this detail -- perhaps it will show up. It also doesn't explain if they tossed out signatures from out-of-county gatherers, which may explain the high failure rate. If so, that very well may be overturned by the courts, due to the Supreme Court decision, Buckley v. ACLF. Note that recalls are considered a ballot measure by California rules (though not by any case that I know of -- the question is an important for campaign finance issues). 

It sounds like they will take 30 days to count from here, though again, the charter seems to be very different. Note that according to the existing charter, the petitioners may have a 10 day cure period (the language is unclear) if the signatures don't meet the requirements. 

If the pre-existing law is used, it does not appear to allow for a signature strike, whereby signers can withdraw their signature from the petitions (that law was adopted in 2017). Couldn't tell you how it'll play out though. 

Wisconsin: Election Commission announces Assembly Speaker recall fails

The Wisconsin Election Commission has announced that the recall against Assembly Speaker Robin Vos will not make the ballot, as petitioners seem to have fallen 945 signatures short. The handed in 11,000 and needed about 7K, so that is a really bad result -- unless due a new question about the districting. The Daily Kos has a good explanation for the challenge of deciding what district Vos is a part of (this is after the old districts were tossed out by the State Supreme Court). 

Wisconsin: Signatures handed in against Wisconsin Assembly Speaker

Petitioners are claiming that they handed in enough signatures to get the recall of Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) on the ballot. They handed in over 11,000 signatures and needed about 7K. Note that Wisconsin has a peculiar law that allows any eligible voter to sign (history discussed here), so there is no requirement that the voter has to be registered (which should make it easier to make the ballot, but I'm not sure that holds true).

Vos, a long-time fixture of this blog, is facing the recall over his refusal to support Trump during the attempt to overthrow the 2020 election results and the decision to drop impeachment efforts against Wisconsin's Election Commission Chair Meagan Wolfe as she has refused to push for the discredited claims of election fraud.

Vos almost lost in 2022 after refusing to back the election fraud claims. Former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who has previously targeted Vos, had called for his recall if he didn't support the impeachment of Wolfe. 

A recent court decision has held that the legislature does not have the power to impeach Wolfe.

You have selected Regicide:

Vos would be the sixth (or seventh!) state legislative leader to face a recall vote. The first was California Senate President Pro Tempore David Roberti in 1994. The second was Michigan House Speaker Andy Dillon in 2008. The fourth was Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald in 2012. All three of these officials won their races easily.

The third was Arizona Majority Leader Russell Pearce who was kicked out of office on November 2011 in a bitter recall battle over immigration and other issues. Perhaps worth noting is that Pearce lost to a Republican.

The fifth was Colorado President John Morse, who lost over his support for gun control legislation following the Aurora Movie Theater/Dark Knight mass shooting. Morse lost the race, but the Democrats have only gained in the years since. 

There was one other recall of a legislative leader, though the circumstances were so bizarre that it has to be separated out. Without going into too much details about the California recall wars of 1995, Republican Doris Allen backed the Democrats in a closely divided Assembly that had already seen two recall votes. Allen was elected Speaker of the Assembly and served for a little over 3 months, but she stepped down before her recall. She lost her recall race.

California: Oakland Mayor recall claims 13K signatures; Big backer of recall was a major supporter of SF DA one

Ron Conway, a tech billionaire and a major supporter of the San Francisco DA recall, is one of the big backers of the effort against Oakland Mayor Sheng Tao. Petitioners have said that they have collected over 13,000 signatures. They need 24,638. 

The big issue has been crime. Tao has fired the Oakland Police Chief and rejected three possible replacements proposed by a committee. One of the leaders of the recall effort is Alameda County Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte, who served on the Police Commission and was removed by Tao.

Oregon: King City Mayor and three councilors ousted

Final results are in and all four King City officials were kicked out. Mayor Jaimie Fender lost with 50.9% against (895-871) and Councilors Kate Mohr (51.5% -- 892-851), Smart Ocholi (50.7% -- 882-871), Laurie Petrie (51.3% -- 901-859), all on the February 13 ballot. The remaining counsel members will have to appoint new members (though there is no quorum).

Petitions were also filed against two other councilors, one of whom, Micha Paulsen, resigned. No signatures were handed in against Marc Manelis after a seeming change of heart.  

The recall is over their vote for a Master Plan and Transportation System Plan, most notably a development plan for Kingston Terrace. One councilor who voted against the Transportation Plan is not facing a recall effort. 

California: Millbrae Councilmembers recall makes the ballot

The recall effort against Millbrae Councilmembers Angelina Cahalan and Maurice Goodman has made the ballot.

The recall seems to be over a plan to convert an Inn to a homeless shelter. 

Florida: Petitions taken out against Sanford Commissioner

Petitions have been taken out against Sanford Commissioner Kerry Wiggins over his vote to purchase a former housing project and turn it into a sports complex. Petitioners claim that Wiggins is neglectful of affordable housing needs. 

Petitioners need 1006 signatures by March 11 for the first stage, then need 15% of the district (which seems like it's around 1500) for the second. 

Texas: No signatures handed in against Dallas Mayor

The recall effort against Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson has failed, with no signatures handed in. Petitions were taken out over his party registration switch from Democrat to Republican (after a recent re-election win). Petitioner, a former council candidate, claims to have over 13000 signatures.

Note that the Dallas Mayoralty is a non-partisan election, so Johnson did not run as a member of a party.

Petitioners needed the signatures of 15% of registered voters in the last election in 60 days (103,000 signatures) to get on the ballot. The Secretary of State's office has the county info, so hard to tell how much that is as of yet. The law specifies the city council is subject to a recall, but it notes that the mayor is the 15th city council member (election in the city as a whole).