Texas: Recall effort against Houston Mayor ramping up

A recall effort is ramping up against Houston Mayor John Whitmire (D) over complaints about incompetence. The one specific policy issue seems to be a water plan.

Petitioners need 63,000 signatures in 30 days (25% of turnout).

California: Look back at the Anaheim KKK recall

Here's an article noting that it is the 100th anniversary of one of the most critical recalls in US history, the successful effort to kick the KKK out of Anaheim. Outside of the Little Rock School Board recalls of 1959, it may be the most consequential. 

Hawaii: Deep look at State legislative appointment and the impact on 1985 recall

A really great look by Perry Arrasmith in Hawaiian Business Magazine at how Hawaii's Governor is tasked with appointing officials to fill state legislative vacancies. Note this point on how the 1985 Honolulu City Council recall led to the start of Governor David Ige's career:

Then-Councilmember Patsy T. Mink was outraged and launched a recall campaign against the three new Republicans. All three lost their seats to Democrats in the recall election; two of those Democrats, Arnold Morgado and Donna Mercado Kim, resigned their seats in the State House to serve on the City Council.

In those days, appointees simply had to be registered as members of the Democratic or Republican party – they did not have to be members of their party for at least six months, as is the current rule. James Kumagai, then chair of the state Democratic Party, who had a doctorate in engineering, was charged with generating lists of potential appointees to fill the House vacancies.

For Morgado’s House seat representing Pearl City, the three options were a longtime party worker; the son of an elected official; and a young outsider named David Ige, an electrical engineer with Hawaiian Telephone, now Hawaiian Telcom. But Ige was not a member of the Democratic Party.

And here's a look at how other states operate (and reelection rates): 

In the U.S., 25 states hold special elections to fill legislative vacancies; appointment processes in the other 25 states vary, according to Ballotpedia, a nonprofit and online encyclopedia of American politics. Only Hawai‘i has governors choose the appointees from short lists of party-selected candidates.

Ballotpedia also tracks the power of incumbency. In all 50 states, it says it analyzed election results for congressional, state executive, state legislative, state judicial and local offices. According to Ballotpedia, 95% of incumbents running nationwide were reelected in 2024, 94% in 2022 and 93% in 2020.

Among the 82 legislative appointees in Hawai‘i since 1964 that I could confirm, 14 did not run for their seats in the next election. But of those who did run, 49 won and 19 lost – a success rate of 72%.

Wisconsin: Wrightstown School Board President recall makes the ballot, scheduled for April 22

The recall against Wrightstown School Board President Angela Hansen-Winker has made the ballot for a special election on April 22 (though depending on how many candidates run, it could be a primary, with the final election on May 20), though she is appealing the certification. The recall is over claims that she misused legal counsel and mishandled a superintendent investigation.

Fellow school board member Rayn Warner is leading the recall effort. Another board member Tiffany Van Vreede is mentioned as a supporter as well. 

Petitioners handed in 1200 signatures. No word on how many are needed.

California: San Jose Condo Complex ousts HOA board

Not much detail here, but apparently the issue was excessive and petty fines by Garden Park Village. Just to note that I do not count HOA recalls in the yearly compilation of recalls. 

Washington: State Supreme Court upholds recall effort against Mabton Mayor

The Washington Supreme Court has upheld (6-3) the judicially approved recall petition against Mabton Mayor Rachel Ruelas. The court ruled that she failed to meet the deadline. Washington is a malfeasance standard state and judges usually toss out recall efforts as not meeting the statutorily delineated reasons for a recall.  

The recall effort comes after the former city clerk was accused of allowing her boyfriend to abscond with $22K in checks and cash from the city. There also has been no access to two council agendas or eight recording of meetings. Council members have not seen the budget and there has been trouble with live-streaming meetings. 

Petitioners would need 59 signatures in 90 days. 

Note that one of the articles notes that recalls are not allowed to be held at the same time as the November general election, which is the opposite of how most states work. I'm not sure about how this works -- it does set dates for local elections and says recalls are excepted.  It does specify that recalls can't be held between a primary and general election date. However, it could make the April ballot.

Oregon: King City Mayor resigns after recall makes the ballot

King City Mayor Marc Manelis has resigned after signatures were verified in his recall and a recall was scheduled for April 29th over a reappointment controversy.

Manelis was just recently elected mayor after the recall and removal of four King City officials, Mayor Jaimie Fender and Councilors Kate Mohr, Smart Ocholi and Laurie Petrie last year, as well as the resignation of Micha Paulsen. 

Manelis voted to reappoint Ocholi to one of the vacant council seats, which apparently led to the current recall effort. The appointment was found to be unconstitutional, but it seems to have happened regardless and Ocholi seems to be on the council.

There was an attempt to recall Marc Manelis at that time for the 2024 recalls, but no signatures were handed in after a change of heart by the petitioners.

That recall was 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 was not facing a recall effort. 

Montana: North Valley County Sewer and Water District Board recall scheduled for June 3rd

The recall of North Valley County Sewer and Water District Board members Krystal Dickerson and Carl Millerick has made the ballot and is set as a special election on June 3rd, though they have sued to stop in under a claim that the petitions are inadequate and inaccurate. 

The recall seems to be about the firing of two general managers.

Montana has a malfeasance standard/judicial recall law, so the petitions focus on claims of alleged theft and incompetence.

Washington: First signatures submitted against Yakima County Coroner

Petitioners have submitted their first batch of 1419 signatures for the recall effort against Yakima County Coroner Jim Curtice (R), which has been approved by a judge. Petitioners need 14000 signatures toget on the ballot. 

Curtice is facing the recall effort (and calls for his resignation by the Yakima County Republican Party) after he admitted that he "was using drugs found on dead bodies and accusing his chief deputy of trying to poison him to cover it up." So far, no charges have been filed.

The first recall attempt against Curtice was rejected as factually and legally deficient, as it relied on news reports. Washington is a malfeasance standard state, so a showing of a statutorily delineated violation is needed. Here's a look at how the recall process works.

Nigerian Senator facing recall effort

Nigerian Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is facing a recall effort. Here's an explanation of how the Nigerian recall works, including that the petitioners need more than 50% of the registered voters in the district. They need their Permanent Voter Card number.  

New Jersey: Lumberton Township Mayor facing recall/resignation threats

Lumberton Township Mayor Gina LaPlaca is facing calls for a resignation or a recall after being arrested on a DUI with a child in the car.

North Dakota: Petitions taken out against Valley City Mayor and Commissioners

Petitions have been taken out against Valley City Mayor Dave Carlsrud  and City Commissioners Duane Magnuson, Mike Bishop, Jeff Erickson and Dick Gulmon. 

The recall effort is over alleged complaints about city projects and financial mismanagement, with a focus on the Public Works Service Center.

California: Poway Councilmember facing petitions

Poway Councilmember Tony Blain is facing a recall effort after his censure for claims of an attempted vote trade. There are also complaints of bullying, harassment, retaliation and bribery, with a particularly strong response from the City Attorney. Blain argues that contractors and developers are leading the effort. Petitioners need 2500 signatures to get to the ballot.

Poway recalled councilmember Betty Rexford in 2010. 

California: Rick Caruso opposes Los Angeles Mayor recall effort

Rick Caruso, the billionaire who ran and lost to Karen Bass in the mayoral election in 2022, has announced his opposition to a recall effort. However, that is a long way from announcing that he will not run in the replacement race. 

And here's an LA Times story with my comments on how a recall works.

Texas: Look back at the 1938 Fort Worth recalls

Here's a look back at recalls of Forth Worth's Mayor W.J. Hammond and five councilmembers (one by resignation) in 1938 back when the city had a population of under 180,000. 

The six had been elected in 1937 as members of the Peoples' Progressive League and faced the ire of the local business community. 

Montana: Canyon Creek Rural Fire District Trustee ousted

Canyon Creek Rural Fire District Trustee Richard E. Grady was kicked out in a March 18 recall election, 146-49. 

There seems to be complaints about the right to comment and other issues, including the hesitancy to accept a new fire truck. Apparently, most races are close, so the blowout was a surprise (though not to followers of recalls!). 

Alaska: North Slope Mayor facing petitions

North Slope Borough Mayor Josiah Aullaqsruaq Patkotak is facing petitions over complaints over allegedly misusing funds for travel expenses for his family. Apparently, the salary for the position is over $280,000. 

This is the second petition filed, the first was rejected due to Alaska's malfeasance standard (which may not be in effect thanks to recent court decisions). 

In 2016, a previous Mayor, Charlotte Brower, was kicked out with a recall for sending her grandchildren to a basketball camp in California, among other issues.

Maine: Freedom Select Board Member and Blair Witch Project Star facing April 23rd Recall vote

Freedom Select Board member Heather Donahue, famous for her leading role in "The Blair Witch Project," is facing a recall vote on April 23rd over whether a road that a family has claimed has public access or not (Donahue has argued that it does). The petitioners are complaining that Donahue cut brush and trimming on the road and used orange spray paint to mark trees on the public easement. 

There are also issues of complaints about the old board (Donahue was elected last year), including late IRS payments and budget confusion, so this may be part of an old residents vs. new residents fight. 

Petitioners handed in 73 signatures and needed 46 valids.

North Dakota: Petitions taken out against Burleigh County Commissioner

Petitions have been taken out against Burleigh County Commissioner Brian Bitner over complaints about contempt for voters, though Bitner believes it is for other reasons that he does not specify. Bitner is the board chair and has been on the commission since 2008.

Petitioners need 12,858 signatures in one year.

California: Petitions taken out against Contra Costa District Attorney

The recall effort against Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton is moving forward, with petitions set to be filed this week. Petitioners seem to need somewhere in the neighborhood of 72,000 signatures in 160 days. 

Becton appears to be part of the progressive prosecutor movement, and is facing similar complaints to DAs in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Alameda about a perception of a failure to prosecute different cases. We discuss the pushback here. Interestingly, Becton was listed as one of the opponents of Prop 36, which increased sentencing for drug and theft crimes and passed overwhelming. 

Becton has also been accused of demoting her last two opponent after her election and there was apparently a $2.2 million discrimination settlement against the DA's office (which her opponent was part of -- the alleged discrimination was against women). 

Here's some local reports on KRON4 and ABC7 where I am on discussing the recall effort. 

Minnesota: Supreme Court tosses out House recall efforts

No surprise here, but the Minnesota Supreme Court has tossed out the recall efforts against Minnesota's Democratic House Representatives and (presumably one of the Republicans), claiming it fails to meet the malfeasance standard. 

Here's (and above) is my article on how Minnesota's recall law works and why the state has only had two recalls go to the ballot since it adopted this version of the recall in 1996 (with one removal) and two resignations.

In addition to giving a full look at the full use of state legislative recalls in the US, the article looks at how malfeasance standard/judicial recalls work and why Minnesota has a particularly difficult one. There is one thing that I do not go into in the article, but I'll mention below. 

As mentioned in the piece, Minnesota is different than Washington State, another malfeasance standard state. Washington does not have a lot of recalls, but more than Minnesota, and many more are threatened. The difference may be that in Washington, the courts approve or reject the petitions before the full signature gathering starts. Here's where it gets strange. Minnesota's law for state level officials seems to be the same requirement, and occasionally that pre-approval seems to have occurred. But in practice, at least at the local level, the court seems to get involved after the signatures are collected and submitted. There are a number of instances of the "collect the signatures and then have the Supreme Court toss out recall" process. There's also a case in Red Wing where the council refused to schedule the recall and the matter seems to have been dropped (and another one in Blue Harbor without the signature verification). 

I don't know why Minnesota practice and law appear to be different at least for state and local officials, but it feels like this a critical question for recalls in the state. 

Tennessee: Knox County School Board member facing petitions

A recall effort has been kicked off against Knox County School Board Chair Betsy Henderson. Henderson is facing the recall over her push for school vouchers.

It is not clear if there can be a recall, as state law allows it only on a regular election ballot, not as a standalone special election. "The county charter doesn't specify whether special election can be called for recalls."  If there is no special, then the next election would ne in 2026, when the seat would be up. Henderson may run for mayor instead. Petitioners would need about 6000 signatures.

The lead petitioner, Phillip Sherman, ran against her in 2022. 

California: Two Beverly Hills School Board members face petitions

Petitions have been taken out against Beverly Hills School Board Members Russell Stuart and Sigalie Sabag following the resignation of the Superintendent and the restructure of administration and two schools. Stuart has also faced criticism for a social media post overlapping the D in the School District with DOGE.

Petitioners need about 4560 signatures. There would be no replacement whatsoever if they are removed. 

Update: The recall has been put on hold because it was put in too early.

Arizona: Santa Cruz Sheriff facing petitions

Petitions have been taken out against Santa Cruz Sheriff David Hathaway. Petitioners need 4567 signatures by July 2. 

The lead petitioner is the chair of the local Republican Party and a former volunteer with the search and rescue team. There's a kitchen sink list of complaints, but the focus seems to be withdrawing from a federal program paying for increased border patrol action.

Wyoming: Attempted recall of Opal Mayor fails due to impossibility of State Recall Laws

Very odd situation in Opal, where the City Attorney told the council that they could lead a recall of Mayor Mary Hall (who was recently appointed after the previous mayor resigned), though he was wrong. 

The Attorney believed that a recall was allowed, but found out that Wyoming's law only allows for recalls in governments with a commission-style (which is apparently none). 

It is an odd feature that the state allows recalls, but no one can access such a rule. 

Update: The City Attorney resigned 

North Dakota: Dickinson Commissioner easily survives recall vote

The bizarre recall effort against Dickinson Commissioner Jason Fridrich, in which no candidate put themselves on the ballot to oppose him, has ended, as Fridrich won the race 626 to 25 for write-in candidate Seth Hegelson (who led the recall effort).  

For some reason, no challenger emerged in the March 11th  recall election against Fridrich, despite them getting the recall on the ballot.

The recall is over a claim that he did not properly take the oath of office.

The ones against Mayor Scott Decker and Commissioner John Odermann failed. There is a question on how many signatures were needed due to whether to follow the ND Code or the Home Rule Charter. Dickinson's Home Rule Charter required 15% of voters versus 25% in the state Code.

Petitioners needed 724 for Decker and Odermann and 424 for Fridrich.

New York: New recall law bill proposed

There is a new bill for a recall law in New York state, sponsored by Assemblyman Chris Tague (R). The bill would only hit statewide elected officials, not legislators or local officials.

Taiwan: 37 recall campaigns move to second stage of signature collection

37 of the Taiwan focused recall campaigns have advanced to the next stage, with 33 KMT legislators, one independent legislator, a mayor and two city councilors moving forward. They will now need 10% of voters signatures in 60 days to go to the ballot.

Oklahoma: State-level recall bill passes Senate committee

The state level recall bill proposed by Senator Bill Coleman  (R) passed through the Senate comitteee 7-1. 

The recall has some unusual provisions, including have lawmakers start the process rather than have the signature gathering effort (which is the case for Illinois's gubernatorial recall).

The bill seems to be in reaction to School Superintendent Ryan Waters, who is calling for the election of district superintendents and has run into trouble on both sides of the aisle. 

Nebraska: Fort Calhoun Mayor facing petitions

Fort Calhoun Mayor Mitch Robinson is facing a recall effort over his support a plan to lease outdoor gun range space to Omaha's Police Department. There is already a recall vote to remove that specific provision. 

Alaska: Palmer Mayor recall makes the ballot for May election

The recall against Palmer Mayor Steve Carrington appears to have made the ballot, with the recall to be held in May. The recall appears to be over over a $75K severance payment to a city manager who served for 53 days. The complaint is focused on Open Meeting Act violations.

Three Palmer City Councilmembers were kicked out in a recall in 2022. The lead petitioner against the three councilmembers is also leading the effort against Carrington. Carrington was elected in 2022, but served for a decade on the council. Petitioners need about 58 signatures (25% of turnout -- though perhaps it requires all signers to have voted) in 90 days to get on the ballot.

Petitioners needed 71 signatures. No word on how many they got.

Arizona: Glendale Councilmember facing recall threats

Signatures are being collected for a recall of Glendale Councilmember Leandro Baldenegro over complaints about eliminating comments at the council meetings and voting demolish a library.

Petitioners need over 400 signatures to get on the ballot.

California: Lancaster Mayor facing recall effort from 2nd and 3rd place finishers

Petitions are being taken out against six-term Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris  The complaint appears to be partly about changing the term from two to four years -- though this was back in 2010 (it was a voter measure). Other complaints seem to be about a proposed project for the homeless and his comments about a purge and giving homeless free fentanyl. 

The lead petitioners appear to be two of the people who Parris beat in the election last year, Republican Mark Maldonado and Democrat Johnathon Ervin. Parris won (in a field of 10) 4763 to 3648 for Erivn and 3190 for Maldonado.

Colorado: Pueblo Mayor facing petitions

Petitions have been taken out against Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham 

The recall is about complaints of removing nonprofit funding, retaliation against opposition and spending too much time on social media during council meetings. 

Navajo Nation: Recall effort against Navajo Nation President failed

The recall effort against Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren has failed, with petitioners handing in 11,193 signatures and needing 34,000 (45% of turnout in the past election). 

The recall was over a kitchen sink of complaints, including misusing funds, a revolving door and inaction on workplace harassment and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People initiative. 

The former Executive Director of the Division of Human Resources, who was fired in June, is leading the effort. 

Maine: Claims of online signatures against Governor, but state doesn't have a state-level provision

A change.org petition is claiming almost 28,000 signatures against Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) though obviously none of them are worth anything, as the online petitions do not count for recall or other direct democracy efforts (additionally, it is quite likely that many of the signers do not live in Maine).

As the article notes, Maine does not actually have a state-level recall law, so there is no possibility that Mills will be removed in a recall or that this will move forward.

The complaint is over women and transathletes issue. Mills recently got into a verbal scuffle with Trump, so that may be a part of this. 

California: Oakland/Alameda Recall Downballot Roll-Off Effect in Action

 

https://scocablog.com/the-downballot-roll-off-effect-in-action/

The downballot roll-off effect in action

by Joshua Spivak · March 3, 2025

Overview

The November 2024 election ballot in Alameda County saw an unusual occurrence: overlapping recalls of the Alameda district attorney and the Oakland mayor. Media coverage of these recalls portrayed those separate county and city contest results as being very similar. But a more detailed look shows a noted discrepancy in the vote totals among the Oakland voters who could cast ballots for both officials. Price did significantly better in Oakland than Thao, mainly because a significant number of the pro-Price voters did not also cast a ballot in the mayoral recall. This is probably explained at least in part by the fact that the district attorney appeared higher on the ballot than the mayor. This would be a stark example of how the downballot roll-off effect can impact lower-level races.

Analysis

Ballot design is a long-running theme in American politics

How to structure ballots and elections has been a long-running debate in American history.^[1] The original early-1900s Progressive movement promoted the short ballot, which was designed to remove some of the more obscure positions and transfer them from elected to appointed jobs.^[2] The movement tied this simplification to both longer terms in office and (more in theory than in practice) a recall to give voters an out.^[3] The arguments for a short ballot are bolstered by what has been called the downballot roll-off effect, which describes the steep falloff in votes for local positions listed below higher-profile contests, as voters only cast ballots for the top of the ticket and ignore the races below.^[4]

Another argument has attacked off-year elections, which posits that because turnout is particularly low for non-presidential election year races the system would work more effectively if elections were consolidated. Nationwide in recent years there has been a push against the spaced-out election day schedule, with some states prohibiting odd-year elections.^[5] Other states have taken similar steps such as banning recalls on a special election day.^[6] In a country where no one knows how many elected positions there are, figuring out the advantages and disadvantages of different dates and ballot lengths should at least be on the table.

The Price and Thao election results show the downballot roll-off effect

It takes a lot for a local race to become a national story during a presidential election year, as Alameda County did in November. It wasn’t a regular election, but rather the two recall votes against District Attorney Pamela Price and Mayor Sheng Thao that grabbed the spotlight.^[7] Alameda’s votes were the first since at least 2011 to feature recalls in overlapping local jurisdictions (not including the two gubernatorial recalls in 2012 and 2021). Both Price and Thao were viewed as being on the same side in local politics, and both were blamed for the same activating issue — the perceptions of high crime and lax prosecuting and policing standards.

The two recalls were joined on the ballot, but examining the numbers reveals a marked difference in their vote counts that in large part are likely explained by the fact that the two candidates were placed pages apart on the ballot. This is a good example of the downballot roll-off effect and it also may point to which type of voter is least likely to roll off.

At first glance, the election results seem very similar, with Price losing with a 62.92% vote against in the county and Thao being ousted by 60.62% against in Oakland. But isolating only the overlapping voters in Oakland (by far the biggest city in the county) shows a different story. Price was on the ballot’s third page, while Thao was on page eight — or ninth since one of the pages was blank. Price lost Oakland with 53% of the vote against her, 84,165–74,260. But Thao lost by a much larger margin, with 60% of the vote, 86,535–56,220.^[8] There was a 15,000+ vote or 10% difference between the two races in Oakland, all on one side. Presuming that this is the same pool of voters, and assuming that anyone who supported one candidate supported the other, between 13,000–18,000 Price supporters dropped off and did not vote for Thao (2370 switched sides).^[9] This shows that one side of the contest, the Price–Thao supporters, did not vote downballot.

Other possibly influential factors

Of course there are some differences between these two recalls. Price’s recall received much more attention, partly from the heightened attention caused by the backlash over the progressive prosecutor movement that led to San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin’s recall in 2022. The Price recall was also an extended affair thanks to an unnecessary and unusual set of delays caused by the legislature, the county supervisors, and election officials — it took over 18 months to get the Price recall before the voters. Thao’s recall was comparatively quick, with stories only starting to appear about 10 months before Election Day. The Price recall received more attention over a longer stretch of time, which partly explain the higher vote count in her contest.

There also were differences between the likely bases of support for the respective officials. As Mayor Thao received criticism on a wider range of local issues than Price did with her more focused one-issue job of prosecuting crime. And Thao endured negative publicity related to an FBI raid on her home that had no analogue in Price’s recall. Far more money was spent on the Price campaign, although neither effort saw much in the way of spending after getting on the ballot.^[10] In fact, there were numerous lawn signs printed that simply said “no on recalls” and did not even specify the targeted candidates. Contrast that with the county supervisor race, which represents only one-fifth of the county, and which generated a flood of expensive mailers and supervisor-related YouTube ads on both sides of the supervisor race. Mail and internet advertising on the district attorney recall was sparse at best.

The extra attention paid to the district attorney recall could have been offset by the fact that the mayor is a more high-profile and impactful position than a prosecutor, though that does not seem to be the case this year. In general, it seems odd that voters would focus on the district attorney rather than the mayor. As a point of comparison, in both candidates’ hotly contested original victories in 2022, the variance in Oakland between the district attorney (133,636) and Oakland mayor (133,527) race was a mere 109 votes. Yet in the 2024 recall election the district attorney got 15,000 more votes in the same district. The added attention appears to have helped increase votes in the 2024 race.

Roll-off happens even when the vote is for the same candidates right next to each other on the ballot. The race for California’s U.S. Senate seat saw Adam Schiff and Steve Garvey running in both the general election for the full six-year term and in a special election to finish the last weeks of Dianne Feinstein’s term.^[11] The difference between the two races was less than 1% —but that does mean that over 300,000 voters statewide chose to vote in the regular race but ignore the special election race. Schiff did slightly worse in the special election than the general, but his total fell off by just 0.12%.

Finally, another factor besides the difference in place on the ballot may have influenced the discrepancy between Price and Thao: voter anger may create greater interest in ensuring that roll-offs are a lesser effect for pro-recall forces. For example, in November 2008 Michigan House Speaker Andy Dillon faced both a recall and a reelection run; the recall would only be for the remaining two months of the term. Dillon won his reelection race 27,864–14,311 and beat his recall (which was much further down the ballot) 23,987–14,257.^[12] Once again, the drop-off is not evenly distributed. The kick-Dillon-out side lost 54 votes, less than one percentage point. The keep-Dillon side saw a 3,877 vote decline, or 14%. The roll-off was negligible for the pro-recall forces, but significant for the elected official.

This roll-off effect may explain another odd effect of recalls. Voters appear more likely to eject an official when the recall is paired with a general or primary election than as a standalone special election (67% versus 57%).^[13] You’d expect those numbers to be reversed for several reasons: standalone special elections should more likely lead to an ouster because of a movers’ advantage; the recall proponents just spent significant time running a signature gathering effort; it’s the only political hot potato at the time; and a smaller and more motivated number of voters would be focused on the contest. Instead, that anger may lead to staying focused on completing the full ballot line.

Conclusion

The question of how long or short a ballot should be has been a source of debate since the original Progressive era in the early 1900s. Weighing those alternatives requires balancing the value of greater democracy in choosing candidates against the challenge of giving voters too many choices to make, leading to roll-off. This is a policy choice with competing imperatives, a balancing act with no right or wrong answer. The Alameda and Oakland recall results, with their marked relative drop-off in votes in comparable contests, are an example of the downballot roll-off’s effect and a reminder to be mindful of the long ballot’s disadvantages.

—o0o—

Joshua Spivak is a senior research fellow at the California Constitution Center.

1. Congressional Research Institute, “How the Secret Ballot Ended the Gilded Age.” ↑
   

2. Marshall, Short Ballot Needed to Simplfy American Politics, New York Times (Dec. 14, 1913) at 14. ↑
   

3. Farmer, “Power to the People: The Progressive Movement for the Recall, 1890s-1920.” The New England Journal of History, Winter 2001, 59–83. ↑
   

4. Goldstein and Roman, “Downballot roll-off: Lopsided roll-off among major parties may be linked to downballot losses,” Sister District Project (Sept. 14, 2022). ↑
   

5. Fischer, “New AZ law limits city elections even-numbered years, 2 days per year,” East Valley Tribune (May 14, 2012). ↑
   

6. Michigan Bureau of Elections —Legislative Update(Jan. 23, 2013) at 6–7. “Special recall election dates for local officials are limited to regular May and November election dates.”Before the new Michigan law the recalls were held on standalone special election dates. ↑
   

7. Qin and Rodriguez, Oakland’s Mayor Had Enough Troubles. Then the F.B.I. Came Knocking, New York Times (June 24, 2024). ↑
   

8. Alameda County District Canvass (Certified Results) November 5, 2024 at 123 for Price, at 251–52 for Thao ↑
   

9. Ibid. ↑
   

10. Finney and Green, Who’s Paying for the Campaign to Recall Alameda County DA Pamela Price? These Charts Break It Down, KQED (Oct. 22, 2024); Wolfe, Hedge Fund exec bankrolling Oakland Mayor recall shifts focus to down-ballot races, Oaklandside (Nov. 1, 2024). ↑
    

11. California Secretary of State, Statement of Vote November 5, 2024 at 6. ↑
    

12. Wayne County November 8, 2008 General Election Results. ↑
    

13. Spivak, What Recalls Tell Us About Regular Elections, Governing Magazine (Feb. 24, 2024) ↑

Colorado: Three Palmer Lake Trustees facing petitions

Petitions have been taken out against Palmer Lake Trustees Shana Ball, Kevin Dreher and Dennis Stern. 

The issue appears to be the construction of a travel center (restaurant) on the highway, with the land annexed to the town. The complaint seems to be about traffic.

Petitioners need 275 signatures in 60 days. 

California: Fairfax Mayor and Vice Mayor facing recall effort

A second recall effort has been started against Fairfax Mayor Lisel Blash and Vice Mayor Stephanie Hellman. The issue seems to be their support for rent control and a development plan. 

The first recall effort failed last year. 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.

Petitioners need about 1500 signatures in 90 days.

Ohio: Seven Maumee officials recall makes the September 9th ballot

The recall against seven Maumee officials, Mayor James MacDonald and Councilmember Josh Harris, Jon Fiscus, Ted Kurt, Gabriel Barrow, Scott Noonan and Margo Puffenberger, has made the ballot and is scheduled for September 9th (primary day_. 

There were some interesting doings as the petitioners handed the signatures (about 1400 each, need 861), though now there is a claim that the city does not allow for recalls. Apparently, the charter intermixes the terms recall and removal and the officials' supporters say that this should negate the recall. A removal under state law is done by a court for malfeasances and the like. A recall is... a recall. 

However, the latest complaint was that they collected signatures outside of the 90 day time frame, but that was rejected by the court.

The recall appears to be complaints about transparency, distrust and how the city sewer problems have been handled.

Update: The officials are protesting the decision.

Georgia: Recall of Two Bowman Councilmembers heads to April 8th ballot

After being tossed out in court, recalls of Bowman Councilmembers Betty Jo Maxwell and Leah Carey has now made the ballot for April 8.

The recall was thrown out because a judge ruled against it. It seemed that it was claims did not meet the state's malfeasance standard grounds, but this article calls the issue procedural. 

The issue was approval of poultry houses.

 

Colorado: Three Dillon councilmember ousted

All three Dillon Councilmembers, John Woods (197-133), Dana Christiansen (187-143) and Renee Imamura (190-139), were ousted in a March 4 special election. Linda Oliver, Barbara Richard and Joshua Samuel replaced them.

The recall seems to be over the vote for a development project. The town than overturned the vote in a referendum. The lead petitioner is running as a replacement. 

California: San Mateo County Sheriff Ballot Measure passes overwhelmingly

The vote on Measure A, which will allow the San Mateo County supervisors the power to remove County Sheriff Christina Corpus for cause (until 2028) appears to have overwhelmingly passed, with 80% in favor. Turnout was about 25% of registered voters. 

The reason for the effort was over claims of a work romance by Corpus and use of slurs. The measure was a worked around instead of a recall, where petitioners need over 45,000 signatures to get to the ballot. 

We've previously seen the deep look at the effort, especially on the fact that with only 58 sheriffs' in the state, it's not a surprise that there are few recalls on the ballot.

While there have been a number of recalls against sheriffs in other places in the country (I see 4 since 2011 that made the ballot, with 3 removals), none have been in California. KQED's Brian Krans said that the most recent one he found (and maybe the only one) was in 1976 against Plumas County Sheriff W.C. Abernethy, who retired for six days before being sworn in for his sixth term in order to collect his pension. He was kicked out (though it was a close 2% margin).

Colorado: Petitions taken out against four Woodland Park Councilmembers

Woodland Park Councilmembers Jeffrey Geer, Carrol Harvey, Teri Baldwin and Steve Smith are facing petitions over an upcoming vote to repeal the city sales tax. The complaint is that the sales tax send $3M to the School District.  The Councilmembers complain that there is no itemization of moneys spent. The city voters previously shot down an attempt to get rid of the sales tax.

Petitioners need 721 signatures by April 29 (and 577 for Harvey). 

Maine: Recall threats target Maine Governor -- though the state doesn't have a recall provision

Actually don't see any recall threats in the linked article, but perhaps it is the change.org petition. Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) is facing recall threats over women and transathletes issue. Mills recently got into a verbal scuffle with Trump, so that may be a part of this. 

Note that Maine has never had a state-level recall, as it doesn't have such a law. So this isn't going anywhere. 

Colorado: Three Dillon councilmember recalls set to take place on March 4

More on the upcoming recall election against three Dillon Councilmembers, John Woods, Dana Christiansen and Renee Imamura, which is scheduled for March 4. Petitioners apparently needed 17 signatures.

The recall seems to be over the vote for a development project. The town than overturned the vote in a referendum. The lead petitioner is running as a replacement. 

California: More on the latest Gubernatorial recall effort

Here's a look at how unlikely the effort is (with my comments in there) as well as new support from Mel Gibson for the effort. 

Update: The petition has been approved and they need 1,311,963 signatures by September 4th.

Taiwan: KMT recall petitions have 986 dead people signatures

Not the best start for the KMT-supported recalls, as 986 signatures were found to be of dead people (and almost 600 duplicates, though that may be normal). 

Georgia: Petitions taken out against four Bishop officials

Petitions are being taken out against Bishop Mayor Drew Kurtz and Councilmembers Chuck Hadden, Deborah Lucas and Hudson Holder, with complaints about open records and financial mismanagement. 

The issue seems to be about a vote to not renew a lease for a church and academy. 

Petitioners would need 75 signatures to get to the ballot.

Ohio: New claims that recall not allowed against seven Maumee officials

Some interesting doings in the recall effort against seven Maumee officials, Mayor James MacDonald and Councilmember Josh Harris, Jon Fiscus, Ted Kurt, Gabriel Barrow, Scott Noonan and Margo Puffenberger. 

Petitioners handed the signatures (about 1400 each, need 861), though now there is a claim that the city does not allow for recalls. Apparently, the charter intermixes the terms recall and removal and the officials' supporters say that this should negate the recall. A removal under state law is done by a court for malfeasances and the like. A recall is... a recall. 

The recall appears to be complaints about transparency, distrust and how the city sewer problems have been handled. If it gets to the ballot, the recall would be held on Primary Day, September 9th. 

Montana: Canyon Creek Rural Fire District Trustee recall set for March 18

The recall of Canyon Creek Rural Fire District Trustee Richard E. Grady is set for March 18 (when the mail-in ballots are due back). 

There seems to be complaints about the right to comment and other issues.

Alaska: Delta Junction Councilmember recall set for April 18

A recall has been set for Delta Junction City Council Member Stormie Mitchell on April 18. The recall is over claims that Mitchell is unprepared at meetings and delays business. Mitchell was elected to a one-year term in October.

Alaska has a malfeasance standard/judicial recall law, but recent court cases have weakened the law significantly. 

The petition had 41 signatures. No word on how many were accepted.

Delta Junction had a recall in 2001 against Thomas "Roy" Gilbertson and Susan "Susie" Kemp over a private prison construction. Both survived the effort.  

North Dakota: Look back at 2011 Walsh County Sheriff recall

Going back to one of the first recalls covered by the blog, Walsh County Sheriff Lauren Wild passed away. Walsh survived a recall vote in April 2011, which took place after he fired his election opponent (Deputy Ron Nord) the day after the election in 2010.

Colorado: Mountain View Councilmember recall scheduled for May

The recall of Mountain View Councilman Brent John Metz has been scheduled as a special election in May . Metz is accused of shooting a teen in the face and faces assault (and other) charges. Two teens were allegedly looking for a place to take homecoming pictures. 

California: Discussion heating up on the 2026 Recall Amendment

Here's a look in Politico on the 2026 recall amendment that will, among other things, strip the replacement race from the gubernatorial recall effort. I look at this here -- and of course, here's a look at the chaos wrought by the 2022 recall change. 

New York: Op-ed from Jerry Goldfeder on how NY recall would handle the Mayor Adams scandal

Here

Washington: Pacific County Commissioner facing petitions

Petitions are being taken out against Pacific County Commissioner Lisa Olsen, Jerry Doyle and David Tobin over their votes to separate the County Jail from the Sheriff's office. The group leading the effort is called the "Recall Rangers."

Washington is a malfeasance standard/judicial recall state, so a judge would have to approve the reasons for it to move forward. 

Idaho: Caldwell Mayor and City Councilmembers facing petitions

Petitions have been taken out against Caldwell Mayor Jarom Wagoner and City Councilmember Geoff Williams, Chris Allgood, Mike Dittenber and Brad Doty.

The recall is over the approval of hotel which led to demonstrations for "Save the Dirt Lot." The site is currently used for event parking. 

Petitioner would need 20% of signatures from registered voters in 75 days.

California: Palo Alto Board recall effort fails to hit first hurdle

A recall effort against Palo Alto Board of Education Vice President Shounak Dharap failed to get enough valid signatures to meet the first hurdle to get petitions (they need 30 names). Interestingly, two had signature mismatches. 

The recall effort seems to be over a vote to require a freshman ethnic studies course.

Petitioners would need over 7600 signatures to get to the ballot.

Texas: Lead petitioner in Killeen mayoral recall claims to have shredded signatures

More interesting developments in the failed Killeen recall effort, as the lead petitioner, former Councilmember Mellisa Brown, claims that she got 1624 signatures (and needed 1660), but a flu prevented further efforts. When asked by the paper to show the signatures, she now claims to have shredded the petitions. 

The one recall that did get to the ballot has now led to the Councilmember Michael Boyd dropping his reelection (and possibly recall) race.

Texas: Killeen Councilmember drops out of reelection (and presumably recall) scheduled for May 3

Killeen Councilmember Michael Boyd has dropped out of his reelection run and presumably the recall race as well. The recall has had made the ballot and was scheduled for May 3, 2025, the same day as his reelection race. It is not clear from the story what will happen with the recall. 

The recall seems to be part of an ongoing fight. which led to recall efforts against numerous officials, though the petitioner mentions (among many other things) a vote in favor of a new City Hall and a meeting with developers for which a disclosure form was not filed as well as violations of the First and Second Amendment. The petition itself seems to be a vague kitchen sink, with claims of failing to "listen to the citizens"; Violations of the "code of conduct" and "failure to meet primary standards and "abusing tax dollars."

Petitioners handed in 341 signatures and 218 were verified (50% of registereds). They needed 202. The recall would be held on May 3, 2025. 

The recall effort against Councilmember Jessica Gonzalez failed. They handed in 270 and needed 246 (50% of registereds). No word on how many were rejected. 

Michigan: Three Benton Harbor officials facing petitions

Petitions have been taken out against Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad and Commissioners SaTanna Warren and Sharon Henderson. The recalls are filed by different petitioners and there seems to be a difference with one of them. Muhammad and Warren are facing the threat over their vote to approve a new city manager. Henderson is over an allegation of violating the merit system of the civil service board. 

Petitions were also taken out against Commissioner Ron Singleton, but were then withdrawn. 

Update: The petitions were rejected, because, among other reasons, the title mayor was misspelled (spelled mayer).

Colorado: Loveland upcoming recall vote without an incumbent to remove

Here's a look at how the Loveland City Council recall will be structured now that the target Troy Krenning has resigned rather than face the March 4 recall election vote. The election will be focused on the replacement vote.

The recall appears to be over votes to remove the City Manager and City Attorney, as well as a rescission, that Krenning claims avoided litigation.

Petitioners needed 1615 signatures to get on the ballot.

Krenning served on the council from 2013-2017 with one of the recall leaders, former Councilmember Dave Clark. 

Texas: Gonzales Councilmember recall scheduled for May 3rd

Gonzales City Councilmember Ronda Miller is facing a May 3rd recall vote, which will take place on a general election day.

There was a significant debate as to whether Miller could vote in the council to schedule the recall (it passed 2-1, so presumably, if she voted it would have failed). The City Attorney noted that she was barred from casting a vote. 

Petitioners handed in 313 signatures and got 276 valids. They needed 260.

Miller seems to be pushing a focus on a lack of grounds in the petition. Her attorney claims the city uses a malfeasance standard and that is not met here. 

Minnesota: My article in the Minnesota Reformer on how the state's recall law works -- and one big question on Minnesota law

With threats to recall all of Minnesota's Democratic House Representatives and one of the Republicans, we could see an historic recall battle up north. But we won't. 

Here's (and above) is my article on how Minnesota's recall law works and why the state has only had two recalls go to the ballot since it adopted this version of the recall in 1996 (with one removal) and two resignations.

In addition to giving a full look at the full use of state legislative recalls in the US, the article looks at how malfeasance standard/judicial recalls work and why Minnesota has a particularly difficult one. There is one thing that I do not go into in the article, but I'll mention below. 

As mentioned in the piece, Minnesota is different than Washington State, another malfeasance standard state. Washington does not have a lot of recalls, but more than Minnesota, and many more are threatened. The difference may be that in Washington, the courts approve or reject the petitions before the full signature gathering starts. Here's where it gets strange. Minnesota's law for state level officials seems to be the same requirement, and occasionally that pre-approval seems to have occurred. But in practice, at least at the local level, the court seems to get involved after the signatures are collected and submitted. There are a number of instances of the "collect the signatures and then have the Supreme Court toss out recall" process. There's also a case in Red Wing where the council refused to schedule the recall and the matter seems to have been dropped (and another one in Blue Harbor without the signature verification). 

I don't know why Minnesota practice and law appear to be different at least for state and local officials, but it feels like this a critical question for recalls in the state. 

Minnesota: Petitions taken out against GOP House Representative

Another State legislative recall effort has been taken out against a Minnesota legislator, this time on the GOP side. Petitions have been taken out against House Representative Duane Quam (R) 

So far, no one has taken credit, though a progressive group seems to be supporting it over the reverse of the Democratic recall efforts (that they shouldn't have been allowed to meet without the quorum). 

This appears to be the only petitions that have actually been started according to the Secretary of State offices. 

Wisconsin: Signatures handed in against Wrightstown School Board President

Signatures have been filed against Wrightstown School Board President Angela Hansen-Winker over claims that she misused legal counsel and mishandled a superintendent investigation.

Fellow school board member Rayn Warner is leading the recall effort.

Petitioners allegedly handed in 1200 signatures. No word on how many are needed.