Wisconsin: Assembly Speaker Recall tossed out by Election Commission after signatures rejected for late collection

The second recall effort against Assembly Speaker Robin Vos failed after the Election Commission tossed out 188 additional signatures because they were collected after the 60th day of registration. The vote was 4-2.

The first pass through verified enough signatures the effor though there are significant questions about whether it works depending on the district, which will be answered by the Election Commission tomorrow. 

Because the districts were redrawn, there are real questions on how this will work. The petitioners needed 6850 under the old district, and they got only 6866. In the new district, they needed 7195. The Wisconsin Supreme Court refused to rule on which district counted. After this latest development, there were 6678 valids under the old district and 3807 under the new.

There were reports that the petitions include hundreds of duplicates, people signing after the deadline, as well as questionable signature collectors. No idea what happened with that complaint.

In the first effort, also led by former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, they handed in 11000. 

If it gets on the ballot, Vos could be facing the dual recall + reelection on the same day (if it is delayed from the August 6th date). Michigan Speaker Andy Dillion did that in 2008 (surviving both). 

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. Gableman, who has previously targeted Vos (after Vos appointed him to head a committee looking at fraud), had called for his recall if he didn't support the impeachment of Wolfe. 

The Daily Kos has had some good explanations has a good explanation for the challenge of deciding what district Vos is a part of. 

Washington: Petitions taken out against Mabton Mayor

Petitions have been taken out against Mabton Mayor Rachel Ruelas, though the first effort has been turned away. 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. 

California: Oakland Mayor recall updates -- Oped in the Recorder

Here's an op-ed I co-wrote in American Lawyer's Recorder looking at why Oakland may end up with the 4 mayors in 3 months and why it happened. 

Mayoral candidate Loren Taylor, who lost to Mayor Shen Thao by 677 votes in the ranked choice balloting, is looking to run in a replacement race. 

The Chief Spokesman for Thao has resigned and her lawyer seems to have broken with her following her press conference.  

California: Telemcula School Board President ousted in recall

Temecula School Board President Joseph Komorsky lost the June 4th recall, 4963-4751. Turnout was 45.1%. Here is a NYT story with my comments on the recall.

The recall is over complaints about extremist views, including transgender policy, banning critical race theory and rejecting a textbook because of a mention of Harvey Milk as well as the firing of the superintendent. 

Previously, school board member Danny Gonzalez resigned, though oddly right after the petitioners failed to hand in the signatures needed to get him on the ballot (the signatures were due on December 8). Petitioners failed to hand in signatures against Gonzalez (4392) and Jennifer Wiersma (3987). 

Wisconsin: Recall signatures verified in Assembly Speaker recall for one, though not the second, recall

Signatures were verified in the second recall effort against Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, though there are significant questions about whether it works depending on the district, which will be answered by the Election Commission tomorrow. A recall may be held on August 6, though if multi-candidates run, it would be a primary, with the election held on September 3rd.

Because the districts were redrawn, there are real questions on how this will work. The petitioners needed 6850 under the old district, and they got only 6866. In the new district, they needed 7195. The Wisconsin Supreme Court refused to rule on which district counted.

There were reports that the petitions include hundreds of duplicates, people signing after the deadline, as well as questionable signature collectors. No idea what happened with that complaint.

In the first effort, also led by former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, they handed in 11000. 

If it gets on the ballot, Vos could be facing the dual recall + reelection on the same day (if it is delayed from the August 6th date). Michigan Speaker Andy Dillion did that in 2008 (surviving both). 

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. Gableman, who has previously targeted Vos (after Vos appointed him to head a committee looking at fraud), had called for his recall if he didn't support the impeachment of Wolfe. 

The Daily Kos has had some good explanations has a good explanation for the challenge of deciding what district Vos is a part of. 

North Dakota: Look back at attempt to recall Governor in 1935

Here's a look back at a recall effort against North Dakota Governor Walter Welford in 1935 over the continual difficulties of the Great Depression. The recall did not make the ballot, though the story of Welford's term was interesting.

Welford was the Lieutenant Governor and moved up when Governor Thomas Moodie was removed by the Supreme Court for not being a resident of the state (he had recently voted in Minneapolis). Moodie beat Lydie Langer, who was the wife of William Langer of quite a bit of recall note. and then beat Langer in 1936. William Langer was the Attorney General from 1916-1920 and was replaced by William Lemke. Langer ran against Lynn Frazier in 1920 and lost. Langer was the Governor elected in 1932, but was convicted and forced from office. 

Frazier and Lemke both lost in the 1921 recall. Langer than beat both in the 1940 US Senate election.

Oregon: Seaside City Councilor recall scheduled for July 31

The recall against Seaside City Councilor Steve Dillard has made the ballot and is scheduled for July 31. over his proposal for age restrictions on library books. 

Petitioners needed112 signatures. 

Arizona: Signatures handed in for recall of two Page Councilors

Signatures have been submitted in the recall effort against Page Councilors David Auge and Mike Farrow 210 signatures were handed in. Not sure how many are needed.

The issue was a vote against a contract to modify Lake Powell Boulevard. 

California: Oakland Mayoral recall makes the ballot and mayor's home raided

More exciting news in Alameda County, as clerk announced that the recall of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has made the ballot, which was followed the next day by news that the FBI raided her house. This is the first recall in Oakland Mayoral history and will be the largest by population for a mayor since 2011 (Omaha and Miami-Dade -- though that was a county). Internationally (Lima, Warsaw, Frankfurt, Duisburg, and Kaohsiung, and on the county and state level, there have been larger, but not for a mayor. 

No word yet on the invalidation rate, but petitioners handed in over 40,000 signatures, which was more than she won on the first round of her election. They need 24,638. 

The big issue has been crime. Thao 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 Thao.

As I explain here, Oakland uses state law for the recall, which kicks the replacement decision back to the city -- and we have an interesting wrinkle in the replacement provision (Section 303), which works like this:

If the mayor is removed, the President of the Council fills the position. If it is over a year (as it is here), there is a special election within 120 days, with a potential extension of 90 days to tie it into a regularly scheduled election. They will use ranked choice. 

The wrinkle is that City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas is running for Alameda County Supervisor and she came in first in the top two race. If Fortunato Bas wins that race on November 5 (which would be the same day as the recall) and the recall succeeds, she presumably would serve as Mayor until January, when she would be replaced by... another council member? So, we may be looking at four mayors in a short time frame. 

Thao will be the second mayor to ever face a recall in Oakland. The first was Mayor Frank Mott "the Mayor who Built Oakland" way back on August 5, 1912, during his fourth term. Mott survived 17,139-10,846. The recall was started by the Wobblies -- the Industrial Workers of the World. 

Oregon: Four Gervais officials losing in recall vote

Gervais Mayor Andrea Gilland and City Councilors John Harvey, Michael Gregory and Rob Ladd are losing in the first release of numbers, with 60% against. So far, 29% of voters have turned out.

The recall is over the firing of the police chief. Previously, the city manager, pro-tem manager, recorder and legal counsel all left. 

Petitioners needed 108 signatures to get to the ballot.

In 2023, two Gervais Councilors were ousted. 

Michigan: Two Delta County Canvassers resign following refusal to certify recall vote

Two Delta County Board of Canvassers members, Bonnie Hakkola and LeeAnne Oman,  have resigned after they originally refused (and then flipped) -- to certify the recall election vote that led to an ouster of three Delta County Commissioners.

The board's refusal seemed to be based on claims (by election deniers from the presidential race) that two of challengers had 2.64 votes for every one for the incumbent.  

All three incumbents were blown out 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 vote was between 72-73%.

If the board didn't certify by May 20, the issue gets sent to the state to examine at the county's expense.

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

Michigan: Petitions filed against four Brandywine School Board members

Petitions have been filed against Brandywine School Board members Michelanne McCombs, Elaine McKee, Thomas Payne and Angela Seastrom. 

The issue is their opposition to a change in the board agenda moving the hearing of visitors from the end of the meeting to the beginning of the meeting (the petitioner is arguing that this is a question of micromanaging).

Petitioners need 872 signatures in 60 days. The effort is led by the former Brandywine Superintendent (who retired in 2017).

California: More on the Alameda DA recall battle

More on the Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price recall, including a former spokesperson accusing Price of deleting records and racism and complaints about a DA showing up at a protest event (in favor of Price). 

Oregon: Signatures validated in recall against three Cottage Grove Councilors -- Recall set for July 30

Signatures have been validated in the Cottage Grove City Councilors Mike Fleck, Chalice Savage and Alex Dreher. Hopefully, we'll see the numbers soon. 

The recall appears to be about the homeless policy. There was a failed recall attempt against Fleck, Savage and John Stinett in 2023, where petitioners handed in 662 signatures and needed 654. Only 463 signatures were validated. That recall was over the city's homeless policy and a lack of responsiveness. 

Update: The recall election has been set for July 30.

Louisiana: Petitions taking out against Iowa Mayor

Petitions have been taken out against Iowa Mayor Neal Watkins. Petitioners would need 604 signatures. It may have to do with the raising of water bills. 

Nevada: Deep dive into Esmeralda County Clerk recall effort and signature counting

A deep dive by the New York Times at the failure of the recall effort against Esmeralda County Clerk LaCinda Elgan, as well as the district attorney and county auditor (though I don't see any articles about those efforts). The article shows how they perform the actual counting of the signatures.

Elgan faced the recall from members of the Esmeralda County Republican Central Committee, over her rejection of a push to have hand counting of all ballots as part of false claims of election fraud from 2020. Elgan handcounted ballots in the past and found that they lined-up with the machine count, which was reportedly part of the reason for the recall.  Esmeralda held up approval of primary results in 2022. 

The article claims that there were 142 signatures handed in and they needed 114, 67 had problems, but it is not clear how many were thrown out. Other articles stated that petitioners needed 186 signatures to get on the ballot.  

Louisiana: St. Tammany Parish Coroner recall effort slows

The recall effort against St. Tammany Parish Coroner Christopher Tape has slowed, which has led to using the tactic of mailing out petitions so signers will self-attest and mail it back.  

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 35057 signatures by October 14 to get on the ballot. They claim they have nearly 10000 verified signatures and more in the pipeline.

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

Alaska: Petitioners hand in Juneau School Board members

Signatures have been handed in for the recall of Juneau Board of Education President Deedie Sorensen and VP Emil Mackey, The recall is 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 handed in 2408 for Mackey and 2396 for Sorensen. They need 2359 signatures to get on the ballot. The recall could cost $105,000.

Update: Here's an article opposing the recall effort and noting that school consolidation is a nationwide phenomenon.

Colorado: Garfield School Board Member recall makes the ballot

The recall against Garfield RE-2 School Board Member Tony May has made the ballot. Petitioners handed in 2880 signatures and 2441 were validated. They needed 2378 valids.

May has pushed for the adoption of the American Birthright Standards instead of the state standards. There are also complaints about behavior.

May had previously stepped down as board president, but presumably retained his seat. 

Wisconsin: Petitions filed against four Milwaukee Public School Board members

Recall petitions have been taken out against four Milwaukee Public School Board members, Marva Herndon, Jilly Gokalgandhi, Erika Siemsen and Missy Zombor, following the news that the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction withheld $16 million in funding because the district was months behind in reporting. This led to the resignation of the superintendent and the firing of the comptroller. Petitioners need 5137 signatures for Herndon, 6809 for Siemsen, 7759 for Gokalgandhi, and 44,177 for Zombor (Zombor is an at-large member, rather than a specific district.

The board called for a $252 million referendum that was recently approved before revealing the financial issues.

Update: Petitioners claim they have half the signatures needed (they cite 37K signatures, which is presumably all of them combined).