Wisconsin: Petitions taken out against Governor/Lieutenant Governor

Petitions were taken out against Governor Tony Evers (D) and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes (D) over the responses to the coronavirus pandemic and the unrest in Kenosha. Petitioners would need 668,327 signatures in 60 days to get on the ballot. 

Idaho: Ketchum Mayor facing petitions

Ketchum Mayor Neil Bradshaw is facing petitions over his dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and waivers for large developments. Petitioners would need 508 signatures to get on the ballot.

Utah: Grand County Council looks to change form of government and remove recall (which may be disallowed under state law)

Utah's Grand County Council is looking to move to an expanded commission form of government in order to get into compliance with state law, which will remove recall elections (as well as non-partisan elections and term limits). Utah passed a state law in 2018 mandating that all counties use one of four forms of government.

It was not clear if Grand County's recall law was legal under Utah law. There was one attempt for a recall in 2018, though it failed and may have been disallowed. 

Colorado: Avon Mayor Pro Tem facing attempted recall

There appears to be an attempted recall of Avon Mayor Pro Tem Amy Phillips, with petitioners needing 479 signatures to get on the ballot. I don;t see any coverage of this except for a post in a story about the Avon upcoming elections. No word on why the recall is being attempted, though the post says that she will avoid the recall by getting on the ballot to seek reelection (not sure if that means that she could be recalled for the remaining portion of her term and win reelection, or if it is something else). 

Florida: Miami Commissioner looks to remove signatures; Effort moving to second stage

 The recall effort against Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, which previously featured a lawsuit, now has Carollo supporters gathering signatures to remove their names from signed petitions. Florida allows this counter-signature strategy, but it is required within 30 days after submission. Carollo is outside of that timeframe.. Petitioners gathered 1941 signatures and needed 1577 to pass the first stage. So Carollo needs at 365 removals. 

Florida has a two stage signature gathering process, so petitioners would need to get another 4738 signatures in 60 days.

The recall is over accusations that Carollo pushed for targeted code enforcement against a businessman who owns the Ball & Chain nightclub.

Washington: Look into history of Seattle Mayoral recalls

Here. It mentions the recall of Mayor Hiram Gill in 1911 and Frank Edwards in 1931, though focuses on Mayor Wesley Uhlman, who survived a recall in 1975.

Oregon: GOP petitioners optimistic they have signatures for Governor recall

Petitioners are claiming that they believe they will get a recall on the ballot against Oregon Governor Kate Brown (D). Petitioners would need 280,050 valid signatures and are hoping to get 430,000 by the August 31 deadline. They attest to having 290,000 currently, but the Secretary of State has said that signatures handed in do not meet the needed requirement yet.

The Oregon Republicans have led the charge on the recall.  Brown's push for the coronavirus pandemic shutdown, that seems to have help prevent a major recurrence in Oregon, is one of the new motivators for the recall, though since the GOP has been launching recalls since her election in 2018, this seems more like the latest reason. Last year, two attempts, including one led by Republican leaders, both failed.

Brown herself is term limited.

Oregon, the first state to adopt the recall for state-level officials way back in 1908, has had recalls against three state legislators, but never a Governor. Brown actually got the job when her predecessor John Kitzhaber faced a recall threat.

What is perhaps most noteworthy is that Oregon's recall law does not provide for the election of a replacement. Replacements are instead "filed immediately in the manner provided by law for filing a vacancy in that office arising from any other cause." But this has led to serious questions of who would replace Brown. 

Oregon does not have a Lieutenant Governor provision. The normal candidate to step up is the Secretary of State, in this case 84 year-old Republican Beverly Clarno. But Clarno was appointed (by Brown) to the position to replace her deceased predecessor. Oregon law appears to disallow the replacement by an appointed official. The next in line would be State Treasurer Tobias Read (D). 

Missouri: Kansas City Mayor facing recall effort over pandemic response, but city's malfeasance standard may stop it

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is facing petitions, which lists "poor judgement and inadequate leadership" though the Facebook page was launched the day that he extended the mask mandate to combat the coronavirus pandemic. 

As Tony KC's site notes, Kansas City's recall law is a malfeasance standard/judicial recall one, which would seem to present a very high bar to get on the ballot. Note that Missouri recall provisions allowing it for charter cities also has a malfeasance standard.

It seems petitioners need to get 13,393 signatures in 30 days to get on the ballot. The petitions are too late to make the November ballot. 

Wisconsin: Lake Mills School Board member resigns in face of recall effort

Lake Mills School Board member Rachael Davies, who was the target of a recall effort, has resigned her seat.  Petitioners needed 1273 signatures in 60 days. 

Davies has been censured by the board for racially charged comments made on her social media page over the 50 Miles More march.

Update: Petitioners have decided to not hand in signatures so as not to force a new election.

Missouri: Petitioner holding on to petitions in recall attempt against St. Louis City Alderwoman over opposition to airport privatization plan

The lead petitioner in a recall attempt against St. Louis Alderwoman Cara Spencer has claimed that he has collected about 1900 signatures to get a recall on the ballot (they need 1139 valids) but has said he hasn't decided to hand them in. The recall is over her opposition to an airport privatization plan which will be on the November 3 ballot. The signatures are being collected by the same group that is seeking enough signatures to also get the privatization plan on the ballot (though the petitioner claims that the issue is that Spencer is a white person representing a majority minority district). Spencer has announced a run for mayor the following year.

The petitions have to be handed in by Mid-September.

Idaho: Two Lincoln County Commissioners survive recall vote due to Queen of the Hill provision

Lincoln County Commissioners Rick Ellis and Roy Hubert survived Tuesday's recall vote thanks to a Queen of the Hill provision. 73% voted against Ellis and Hubert. However, Idaho's recall law's "Queen of the Hill" provision: the vote to remove must exceed the amount of votes the candidate received when they won the office in the last election. The Hubert recall vote totaled 698, but he received 833 votes in his favor in 2018. Ellis saw a 704 votes to remove. He got 710 in 2018. So both survived. 

The recall is over a vote to build a new courthouse rather than make the current one ADA compliant. A bond effort failed, because they did not get 2/3rds of the vote. 

Washington: Judge okays Benton County Sheriff recall petition

A judge has green lit a recall effort against Benton County Sheriff Jerry Hatcher, ruling that petitioners have met Washington's malfeasance standard on eight charges.

The Deputy Sheriff's Guild membership was leading the way. An independent investigator found that Hatcher retaliated against a whistleblower and two witnesses and engaged in anti-union activity.

Hatcher also has run into personal issues with his wife filing a civil protection order claiming that he choked her during a fight over his extramarital affairs. The order meant he had to surrender his firearm. He also was previously charged with felony witness tampering and assault, though chargers were dismissed.

Washington: Leader of Seattle City Council recall member loses job over effort

Ernie Lou, one of the leaders of the recall effort against Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant (the first socialist elected to Seattle's council in 100 years), has lost his job due to his work on the recall. He was an independent contractor at a film festival. 

The recall effort over a kitchen sink of complaints, including revealing the mayor's home address, giving decision-making authority to Socialist Alternative (which has been a complaint against her before, though it was dismissed by the Ethics and Election Commission), promoting a ballot initiative, letting protesters in City Hall after hours and helping to create a criminal environment.

Petitioners would need over 10,700 signatures to get on the ballot. Washington is also a "malfeasance standard/judicial recall state", so a recall effort will need to get approval to get on the ballot. 

Oregon: Two Gates City Councilors kicked out in recall vote

Gates City Councilors Ron Carmickle (101-91) and Jim Hensell (105-85) were oust in an August 18 recall vote. The issue was joining a proposed sewer district. The city did not have people willing to run for the position last election, so they may have some challenges in filling the seats. The council only has two of six positions filled. 

Petitioners needed 35 signatures to get on the ballot (they handed in 87)

A former Mayor Dan Tucker (who recently resigned twice) led the recall effort. 

Florida: Howey-in-the-Hills Town Councilman kicked out in recall vote

The recall election against Howey-in-the-Hills Councilman Matthew McGill finally took place, with McGill ousted 483-163. The recall was postponed from its April 14 date.

From previous coverage, McGill and others are threatening to sue the town for a $1M each, with complaints of ethical violations. McGill has complained about the police chief's enforcement policies.

35 Pandemic-focused recall attempts -- Op-ed in the Oklahoman and further thoughts

While it has shaken up the national races, the first political impact of the coronavirus pandemic is taking place on the local level. Already, there have been 35 recalls attempts focused all or in part on elected officials responses to the pandemic. 30 of these recalls have targeted officials who support the health guidelines promoting social distancing and mask wearing.

 At the start of the shutdowns, there was good reason to believe that we would see a precipitous drop in recalls. That may have happened. Some elections were delayed and numerous recalls attempts failed or were abandoned in the planning stage once the social distancing prevented full out signature gathering campaigns.

 But since then, pandemic-focused recalls (and to a lesser degree, recalls surrounding the BLM protests and police defunding) have taken off. Republican Governors of Arizona and Idaho have seen petitions. Democratic governors of California, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon and Wisconsin have all been hit as well, though Republicans (in this case, actual party leaders) have targeted some of these governors since their election in 2018.

 Perhaps most surprisingly, Oklahoma, a state that has seen only rare uses of the recall, has been a key participant. As I wrote in this op-ed in Oklahoman, the state has seen fifteen recall attempts in four cities. Additionally, seven officials in Comanche Nation have been targeted with a recall effort, ostensibly over the distribution of pandemic funds (though the petition leader has launched numerous recalls in the past).

Five of these recall attempts have been against officials who have been opposed to enforcement of social distancing rules; two sheriffs and a city councilman in Washington State; an assemblyman in Anchorage, Alaska and a Texas councilman. Washington State is a malfeasance standard/judicial recall state, so a showing of statutorily listed cause is needed to get the recall going. The other recalls are targeting officials who have been in favor of protective social distancing rules (though the recalls in Norman, Oklahoma are focused on police funding – I have not been able to find an actual copy of the petition – there has also been discussion of social distancing). One election is already set to take place (though not till February), one resignation has occurred and signatures have been handed in against two other officials.

 Most of the recall efforts will fail to hand in enough signatures to get on the ballot, which is the norm in recalls throughout the country. But recalls can be a strong indicator of political anger and upheaval. We’ll see what it means going forward.

Washington: Another Seattle Councilmember facing recall threats

 Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold is facing petition threats after she voted for a budget that would cut 100 police officers. So far, there is an online petition, though no actual petitions seem to have been taken out. Petitioners would need to meet Washington's malfeasance standard/judicial recall law, which is usually a significant barrier. Petitioners would need 8990 signatures to get on the ballot.

Washington: Seattle City Councilmember facing petitions

Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant (the first socialist elected to Seattle's council in 100 years) is facing a recall effort over a kitchen sink of complaints, including revealing the mayor's home address, giving decision-making authority to Socialist Alternative (which has been a complaint against her before, though it was dismissed by the Ethics and Election Commission), promoting a ballot initiative, letting protesters in City Hall after hours and helping to create a criminal environment.

Petitioners would need over 10,700 signatures to get on the ballot. Washington is also a "malfeasance standard/judicial recall state", so a recall effort will need to get approval to get on the ballot. 

Update: Petitions have been filed. 

Texas: Cedar Park City Councilmember recall fails to turn in signatures

Petitioners have not handed in any signatures for the recall of Cedar Park City Councilmember Tim Kelly over Facebook posts calling teachers "leeches" and calling for the firing of teachers who refuse to return to the classroom during the Covid-19 pandemic. Kelly has been censured by a 4-3 council vote.  

Petitioners needed to get 4,112 signatures (10% of registered voters) to get on the ballot.

Oklahoma: Enid Commissioner recall not taking place on Election Day, delayed tiil February 9

The recall election of Enid Commissioner Ben Ezzell has been delayed until February 9, 2021 as the city commissioners tabled the vote (there is no provision for Special Elections). 

The recall date will be on the same day as the new elections for commissioner. Ezzell is termed out, so the race will be focused on the last three months of his term. 

Ezzell is presumably still objecting to the recall and the signatures gathered after petitioners handed in 204 signatures and the election board validated at least 87. They needed 69 to get on the ballot. The issue was Ezzell's support for the city to enforce the state's COVID-19 alert system and his criticism of the police chief for a failure to enforce a mask mandate proposal designed to combat the pandemic.

Update: Some comments from recall petitioners on the delay.