California: Alameda District Attorney Recall set for Election Day (November 5)

Ending months of debate (and potentially leading to lawsuits), the Alameda Board of Supervisors decided to schedule the recall of District Attorney Pamela Price for Election Day, November 5. This was the latest possible date, one that was (and remains) a source of controversy. The recall was only put on that date due to delays in counting the signatures.

According to the Registrar, the recall as a special election would cost $15-20 Million, while a recall on the same day as a general election will cost $4 million. 

Michigan: Camden-Frontier School Board members survive recall votes

Two Camden-Frontier School Board members, Jesse Crow and Emily Morrison, survived recall votes. Morrison defeated Sarah Wilcox, 202-156  and Crow defeated Rick Hartman, 190-168.  The recall was over their vote in favor of retiring the school's Redskins mascot.

Petitioners handed in 418 signatures for Crow and 414 for Morrison. They need 348. 

This was a second attempt against the two. Petitioners had previously gathered 400 and 398 signatures, but all but 10 were thrown out because the sheets did not have the header information.

Oregon: Signatures handed in against Three Morrow County Commissioners

Signatures have been handed in for the recall of Morrow County Commissioners, David Sykes, Jeff Wenholz and Roy Drago Jr. The issues seem to be a kitchen sink grouping, including changes to the ambulance service plan, transparency, water issues, and hiring more administrators. 

In 2022, two Morrow Commissioners were ousted in a recall. Drago was appointed to replace one of them (and Wenholz defeated the other in a general election).

Petitioners handed in 725, 748 and 726 signatures and needs 613 valids for each (15% of gubernatorial turnout).

Drago is running in a May 21 primary as well. 

Michigan: Ousted Adams Township Clerk facing charges for unauthorized access to election data

Adams Township Clerk Stephanie Scott (R), who was ousted in 2023 along with  Supervisor Mark Nichols, was charged with illegally accessing election data. 

Scott was accused of removing a tabulation from an election device, which has led to a State Police investigation. She was then banned from running the 2021 election by the Secretary of State. Nichols voted against spending $5,500 for a new ballot tabulator and publicly supported Scott's actions.

Texas: Dickinson Mayor resigns in face of new recall threat

Dickinson Mayor Sean Skipworth announced that he is resigning in the face of a new recall effort, with a special election to be held in November. The recall was over claims that he "failed to meet fiduciary responsibilities." There are a host of other complaints, including over his support for the hiring a city manager who has faced assault charges.

Dickinson has been the source of a bitter battle over the recall. The city attorney previously claimed that the recall was invalid after petitioners handed in about 1150 signatures and needed 689 valids (they had 30 days). The City Attorney said that the petitions did not confirm the number of signatures on each page; questions of who was facing a recall; and a lack of specifications on the recall claims.

Dickinson's auditor rejected a second attempt over claims that it didn't meet the specification requirement (a malfeasance standard/judicial recall law) for a recall to be allowed.

Skipworth also protested  that the non-city residents are gathering signatures, which violates local laws, though that law itself may violate US law (maybe?). 

Washington, DC: Recall efforts heating up against two Councilmembers

The recall efforts against two Washington, D.C. Councilmembers are heating up, with petitioners claiming that they have 4500 signatures for the recall effort against Councilmember Charles Allen. They are looking for 10K.  There is also complaints about a tip line for the recall of Councilmember Brianne Nadeau.

Both recalls are over rising crime issues, including Allen's push for criminal justice reform issues that were blocked by Congress and the Biden Administration last year. 

There are also debates over the cost of the recall, with some saying there will be a $2.6 million cost, while the pro-recall people are suggesting it would cost $300-$400,000. 

There is also discussion about fundraising, with Allen's team raising $125K and Nadeau raising $70K.

North Carolina: House bill proposing allowing referendum for Leland to adopt recall law

Leland voters may soon get a chance to adopt a recall law, as Representative Frank Iler (R) introduced House Bill 1062 that will allow a referendum in Leland to change the charter to adopt recall laws. The vote would be in November 2025. Under the proposed rule, they would need 25% of registered voters.

Leland Mayor Brenda Bozeman claims that the town is not asking for this provision.

Ohio: Lorain Mayor facing recall threats

Recall efforts have been started against Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley. Unfortunately, this is all behind a paywall and I see no other stories on what may have precipitated the issue. We'll have to wait for further news. 

California: Pro-recall forces heavily outraise DA in Alameda District Attorney recall

The pro-recall forces against Alameda District Attorney Pamela Price have topped a $3 million fundraise, with $1.1 million being brought in for the first quarter of 2024.  In the first quarter, Price's team raised $26,284 and spent $81,655. 

Michigan: Flint replaces Councilmember who resigned after recall got to the ballot

Jonathan Jarrett won the replacement race for Flint Councilmember Eva Worthing. The recall of Worthing got on the ballot and then announced that she would not running in the May 7th recall (which became a special replacement election). 

Jarrett beat Page Brousseau and Kathryn Irwin, 247-145-85.

The recall, was part of internal battle in the council, with numerous recalls filed, though only Worthing got to the ballot. Worthing was accused of missing a meeting when they voted on American Rescue Plan funds.

In her resignation, 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. 

Michigan: Ypsilanti Councilmember survives recall vote

Ypsilanti Councilmember Desirae Simmons (D) survived a recall vote, defeating former Ypsilanti Planning Commission Chairman Rod Johnson (I) 467-429.

The recall was over a vote to purchase a $3.7M building, A former Councilmember was the broker of the deal and may make $100,000 on it. 

The recall against council member Jennifer Symanns led to her resignation, though petitioners have stopped their effort against Mayor Nicole Brown.

Michigan: Two Grant Public School Board Members survive recall vote

Two Grant Public Schools Board of Education members Rachal Gort and Richard Vance survived their May 7th, recall vote. Gort defeated Mindy Conley 924-791 and Vance beat Lindsay Mahlich, 902-817.

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.

Michigan: Three Delta County Commissioners ousted in recall votes

Three Delta County Commissioners were ousted in recall races on May 7th.  Commissioner Dave Moyle (R) lost to Kelli Van Ginhoven (D) 932-353; Commissioner Robert Barron lost to Myra Croasdell, 1410-514; Commissioners Robert Petersen lost to Matthew Jensen, 947-358.

The recall is over their votes to fire the County Administrator (and apparently over their opposition to DEI issues).

Lots of issues in the signature stage.

Michigan: Ottawa County Commissioner ousted in recall vote

Ottawa County Commissioner Lucy Ebel (R) has been ousted in a recall vote, losing to Christian Kleinjans (D) 2502-1665.

The recall was over her vote to reverse the hiring of the county health officer. Ebel is a member of Ottawa Impact, a fundamentalist Christian group who have elected a number of officials in the county. Some of Ebel's supporters claim the recall is because of her Latino heritage, though the recall proponents deny this charge.

Recall efforts against Ottawa County Commissioner Doug Zylstra (D) and Roger Bergman (R) failed. The petitions has been pushed by the Ottawa Impact over the two commissioners opposition to a bill that claiming to protect "childhood innocence."  Zylstra noted that the bill lacked any specificity for staffers to follow. Petitioners would need 2620 signatures for Zylstra and 3717 for Bergman.

Nevada: Palomino Valley General Improvement District Chairman ousted

Palomino Valley General Improvement District Chairman Tom Baker was removed, 217-103. Petitioners claimed that Baker "didn't know what he was doing, violated open meeting law and mistreated employees."

The recall apparently cost $31,000.

California: Rejection of signatures in first stage of Fairfax recall results in questions about clerk/town attorney

The recall effort against Fairfax Vice Mayor Lisel Blash and Councilmember Stephanie Hellman is now facing further questions, as the clerk rejected the submission for the first stage, claiming that there weren't enough signatures handed in and then allegedly refused to answer questions on the requirements needed to get the recall on the ballot (or hand back the original signatures for reuse). The town attorney also refused to provide answers to the questions.

The issue seems to be their support for rent control and a development plan. 

Petitioners need about 1500 signatures in 90 days.

Arizona: Cottonwood City Council recall pushed off till August due to no quorum for meeting

Cottonwood failed to schedule a recall against City Councilmember Lisa DuVernay, because of a failure to meet the quorum requirement for the meeting. The result is that the recall is being moved from the July primary to the general election date in August. Petitioners needed 361 signatures. 

DuVernay is accused of showing what it calls a pornographic video at a council meeting in August. It appears the video was of a drag show. DuVernay, a conservative member of the council, was pushing for a ban on drag shows where minors are present.

Petitions are also out against Councilmember Derek Paosaari over accusations of sexual harassment. a recall of DuVernay, whose term ends in 2026.

Michigan: Buchanan Mayor recall makes the ballot

Signatures have been handed in against Buchanan Mayor Sean Denison. The recall is over the indefinite suspension of the City Manager (Denison notes he was following the advice of counsel). This is the fourth City manager since 2020. Petitioners handed in 532 signatures and had 396 validated. They needed 380.

Election Commission previously rejected the language of tan earlier petition against Buchanan Mayor Sean Denison, due to the petition misspelling the word "Buchanan."

Arkansas: Petitions taken out against Hoxie Mayor

Petitions have been taken out against Hoxie Mayor Dennis Coggins. Not sure how many signatures are needed, but the town has about 2600 people total.

Hoxie and the mayor recently lost a lawsuit due to their failure to comply with FOIA laws. The mayor is also facing a lawsuit over claims that he sexually harassed a tenant. 

California: San Luis Obispo County Supervisor recall fails

Following a start-stop, the recall effort against San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Bruce Gibson has finally failed with no signatures handed in. An earlier effort was brough back after it first was "terminated."

The recall is seemingly over an "attempt to privatize North County water" and claims of micromanagement and open government law violations.  Petitioners need about 7500 signatures to get on the ballot.

California: Alameda District Attorney recall makes the ballot --- but Supervisors haven't scheduled yet

The very bumpy ride for the Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price recall has begun, as the County Board of Supervisors have accepted the Certificate of Sufficiency, but haven't scheduled the recall yet. The reason may be that by waiting to the next Supervisor meeting they can delay the election to the November election date. 

The new California recall law (under Measure B) requires the recall to be scheduled in 88-125 days unless there is an election in 180 days, in which case it can be tied into that election day. Under the old charter law, the recall would have to be scheduled in 35-40 days. 

Price is still arguing against the recall, and her attorney has complained about some of the points made in our article. Price also said that the California Fair Political Practices Commission is looking into the funding of the recall.

And here's my interview on Kron4 on this. 

Louisiana: Petitioners claim on track for St. Tammany Parish Coroner recall

Petitioners are claiming that they are on track for the recall effort against St. Tammany Parish Coroner Christopher Tape.  

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. They claim they have 1500 verified signatures and more in the pipeline.

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

California: Grover Beach Mayor and two councilmembers facing petitions

A lawsuit has been filed by petitioners claiming that the city clerk unlawfully rejected petitions in the recall effort against Grover Beach Mayor Karen Bright and Councilmembers Daniel Rushing and Zachary Zimmerman. Petitioners handed four times the required number of signatures to get the petitions. They need about 2000 signatures for Bright and Zimmerman and 500 for Rushing.

The petitioners are claiming that the clerk required that the petitions remove a number of statements before they could be approved.

The issue seems to be a water rate increase to help a proposed recycled water project. 

Oregon: Three of four Elsie-Vinemaple Rural Fire Protection Board members losing in early numbers

Three of four Elsie-Vinemaple Rural Fire Protection District Board members are losing their recall votes,  with Chair Vivian McCann and members Staciy Morrison and Wayne Carmichael currently down (though it will be a while before we have the total vote in. Thomas Hecox is currently surviving by one vote. 

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

Florida: Coral Gables mayoral recall signatures falls short though petitioners claim a signature sabotage effort

The recall effort against Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago failed in the first round, though petitioners are claiming about an interesting "sabotage."

The petition is just for first round of signatures. Petitioners would have needed another 5000 to get through to the ballot.

Petitioners handed in 1719 handed in and they need 1649 (5% of the registered voters). 1533 were validated. There seems to be a number of duplicates which (according to the article), results in both signatures getting thrown out. One of the duplicates was the lead petitioner, which is a bit odd. The petitioners claim that there was a concerted effort to duplicate 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.