Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Michigan: Dueling petitions engulfs Thetford Council

Dueling petitions in Thetford, where the Board Clerk Nicole Moore and Trustees Julie Tack, Ralph Henry are facing petitions filed by Supervisor Rachel Stanke (R). Stanke has filed three failed attempts against Henry alone over votes against a proposed annual budget, which resulted in a six day government shutdown.

Following the last attempt, Henry filed petitions against Stanke, Treasurer Kristine Taylor and Trustees John Congdon and Eric Gunnels. The claim against Stanke is over actions surrounding solicitation of donations for a Christmas party. This is mostly an intraparty affair, as only Congdon and Gunnels are Democrats.

The Election Board has to decide on the language, though worth noting that one member, Count Clerk-Register John J. Gleason is facing charges of bribing or intimidating a witness.

Monday, July 25, 2022

Michigan: Signatures handed in against four Exeter Township officials

Signatures have been handed in against Exeter Township Manager Phillip Bruck, Clerk Christina Bogoski, Treasurer Tammy Kernyo and Trustee Anne Kleinow after the four voted to ban Supervisor Bob Queen from township property for "erratic and inappropriate behavior." While not the lead petitioner, Queen allegedly gathered some of the signatures himself.

The article lists several different actions, including a fight over a preservation of a historic barn and another was Queen removing an unused fuel tank and dumping it down a drain, causing problems for a neighbor (he claims he thought it was groundwater). Queen allegedly interfered with responders and argued with the owner. 

Sunday, July 24, 2022

Mexico: Petitions taken out against Calexico Mayor

Calexico Mayor Javier Moreno is facing a recall effort over complaints that he used his position unlawfully, seemingly over a car registered out of state. Moreno serves a one-year term and his reelection by the council seemed to upset petitioners. It seems like they would need in the neighborhood of 4,000 signatures. 

Saturday, July 23, 2022

UK: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson could face recall effort if Parliamentary inquiry goes against him

Soon-to-be-former Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Conservative) could face a recall vote if he is suspended from the House of Commons as part of a Parliamentary inquiry over whether he violated the lockdown protocols and lied about it during the coronavirus pandemic. If he is suspended for 10 sitting days or 14 calendar days, a petition can be filed. 

Friday, July 22, 2022

Oregon: Signatures handed in against Eugene City Councilor

Signatures have been handed in against Eugene City Councilor Claire Syrett. The recall effort is over her support for a traffic and public transit plan. 

Petitioners handed in over 2000 signatures. They need 1365. 


New Jersey: Cedar Grove School Board makes the ballot for November

Signatures have been verified in the recall effort against Cedar Grove School Board member Chrissy Dye over complaints about a survey over gender identity. Petitioners handed in 3032 signatures and needed about 2802 (the article doesn't specify how many were valid). 

The election will be held on Election Day, November 2022.

California: Recall threats against Mendocino County Sheriff

Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall is facing threats of a recall in the future, after a write-in candidate (and Sheriff's Deputy) Trent James got 14% of the vote in the June primary. A separate resident stated that he would initiate a recall effort after the grace period of the next term, which starts on January 2. Petitioners needed more 8000 signatures to get on the ballot.


Thursday, July 21, 2022

California: Redondo Beach Councilmember recall set for October 19

The recall election of Redondo Beach City Councilmember Zein Obagi Jr, has been scheduled for October 19, which will also be the same day as a cannabis initiative.

The recall is apparently over his support for affordable housing and a homeless pallet shelter in his district, as well as claims of misconduct by the state bar. Obagi blames Cannabis dealers pushing to open dispensaries in the city for backing the recall (Catalyst Cannabis Co. has been the top funder).. Petitioners got 2452 valids and needed about 2250.

The special is supposed to cost $270,000 (or $240,000 if explanatory text is online only). If it is on the general election day, it will be $37,000.

Update: Tonya McKenzie is the only candidate in the replacement race.

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Washington: Four Prosser School Board members facing petition threats

 Prosser School Board President Andy Howe, VP Jason Rainier and members Peggy Douglas and Jeanie Aubrey are facing petitions. Petitioners want the board to fire the school superintendent and instead giving a raise. The fifth board member, Elisa Riley, is not facing petitions. Petitions first have to be approved by a judge, as Washington is a malfeasance standard/judicial recall state. 

Ohio: Johnstown Mayor and Council President recall effort blocked due to grace period

The recall effort against Johnstown Mayor Chip Dutcher and City Council President Marvin Block has been rejected by the City Clerk over claims that petitioners could not start gathering signatures, because the six month grace period at the start of a term had not started. The petitioners claim that the law didn't specify that it needs a new term (they are both on their second term). This does not sound like a winning argument and the clerk felt the same way. 

The recall is over claims that they pressured the former police chief to fire the court clerk/police dispatcher. The chief has filed a complaint against Block. The police chief has been fired (there is also claims that he claimed the police chief and finance director where in an "inappropriate relationship.") The campaign is called the "Chip off the old Block"

Petitioners handed in 305 for Dutcher and 332 for Block and need 95 valids. 

Missouri: Three Robertson Fire District Board members face recall vote on November 8

Robertson Fire Protection District Board members Joan Noel, Becky Reinsmith, Mike Conley  are facing a recall vote on November 8, after 630 signatures were verified for each. The board is blamed for putting Hazelwood near bankruptcy due to a "costly contract." Supporters of the board members claim that Hazelwood is trying to get out of the contract with the recalls. The issues listed include failure to lower costs, retaliation, failing to turn over public records and selling property for below market value.

Sunday, July 17, 2022

Colorado: Signatures validated in Buffalo School Board recall

Signatures have been validated in the Buffalo School Board member Sonya Hutchison, with petitioners handing in 122 signatures, and 104 validated. They needed 79. The issue was a search for a new superintendent and claims that Hutchison went "rogue" which caused one candidate to withdraw.

The last recall election in Logan County was in 1980, when county assessor Woodrow Brown was removed and replaced by Nancy Wood. This was a two day-two step recall.

Update: The recall vote has been scheduled for November 8.

Georgia: Cordele Commission Chair facing petitions

Cordele Commission Chairman Joshua A. Deriso is facing a recall effort over complaints about removing a picture from the police department, insulting another commissioner and kicking one of the lead petitioners out of the movement.

Petitioners have gathered 126 signatures, they need 100 valids to move to the next stage. Georgia is a malfeasance standard/judicial recall state, so a judge will have to sign off. Petitioners are shooting for 2000 signatures, though it's unclear how many they need from the stories. 

Thursday, July 14, 2022

California: LA District Attorney recall verification going to a full count

In an unsurprisingly development, the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk has found that the random sampling method did not get a clear decision on the Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon recall effort and will be going to a full count. Petitioners handed in 715,833 signatures. The sample was 5% (35,793) and 27,983 were found valid. If this verification rate kept up, the signatures would just fail (by about 7000 signatures, though that may not keep up.

Here's my look at the signature rates and how this sample method works. Here's a good article on the verification process itself.

Wisconsin: Two Morgan Town Board Members kicked out in Recall Vote over Solar Power Facility

Morgan Town Board Chair Fran Wranosky and Supervisor Leonard Wahl were tossed out in a July 12 recall vote over their support for a proposed solar power facility. Rob Berg defeated Wranosky, 57-36% and Jeff Folts beat Wahl 59-36%. Wahl's son-in-law, Matthew Gaulke, ran as a candidate for both seats (if nobody got a majority, there would have been a run-off, which may explain Gaulke's candidacy). 

Both Wranosky and Folts have been on the board for over a decade. Turnout was about 41%.

California: Redondo Beach Councilmember recall makes the ballot

Signatures have been verified in the recall of Redondo Beach City Councilmember Zein Obagi Jr., apparently over his support for affordable housing and a homeless pallet shelter in his district, as well as claims of misconduct by the state bar. Obagi blames Cannabis dealers pushing to open dispensaries in the city for backing the recall (Catalyst Cannabis Co. has been the top funder).. Petitioners got 2452 valids and needed about 2250.

It is not clear when the recall would be voted on, as they are looking to get on the November 8 ballot, but also talking about a March 7 vote. It is unclear why either would happen, as it needs to be in 125 days. 

New Mexico: Cobre School Board members resign after recall petition filed

Cobre School Board President Ralph "Toy" Sepulveda and Vice President Frank Cordova have resigned before a hearing on a recall petition filed against them by board member Gilbert Guadiana. Cordova has been on the board for 38 years.

Petitioners cited claims of nepotism (Cordova's son-in-law was appointed as a replacement board member) and there was complaints about reimbursement for the legal representation in the recall battle.

Colorado: 12th Judicial District Attorney (Alamosa/San Luis County) resigns after recall makes the ballot

Alamosa/12th Judicial District Attorney Alonzo Payne has resigned after the recall against him got to the ballot. Petitioners handed in 5974 signatures, with 4757 being declared valid. They needed 3996. The resignation was after a monitor was appointed by the state Attorney General.

The recall effort was over complaints of being soft on crime (not pursuing charges on large drug busts and not following up with crime victims on plea deals, as required by law), so a bit along the lines of the Boudin/Gascon recall efforts in California. The petitions were taken out by Alamosa Mayor Ty Coleman. 

California: Report on spending in SF DA recall

Here -- $7M for the pro-recall forces, $3M for those opposing the recall of Chesa Boudin.

Sunday, July 10, 2022

New Jersey: Signatures handed in against Cedar Grove School Board

Signatures have been handed in against Cedar Grove School Board member Chrissy Dye over complaints about a survey over gender identity. Petitioners handed in 3032 signatures and need about 2802. 

Ohio: Signatures handed in against Johnstown Mayor and Council President

Signatures have been submitted against Johnstown Mayor Chip Dutcher and City Council President Marvin Block over claims that they pressured the former police chief to fire the court clerk/police dispatcher. The chief has filed a complaint against Block. The police chief has been fired (there is also claims that he claimed the police chief and finance director where in an "inappropriate relationship.") The campaign is called the "Chip off the old Block"

Petitioners handed in 305 for Dutcher and 332 for Block and need 95 valids. One problem here is that petitioners may have jumped the gun, as there is a grace period of six months at the start of a term. The petitions seem to gave been taken out at the five month mark (both are on their second term, so petitioners are claiming that the law doesn't specify that it must be a new term.). A recall vote would be expected to be scheduled for August. The cost of the recall would be about $15,000 as a special in August and $700 if it is during the general election in November.


Florida: Petitions taken out against Riviera Beach Council member

Petition have been taken out against Riviera Beach Councilwoman Julia Botel over claims that Botel tried to stop a beach party from taking place on Singer Island. No word on how many signatures are needed.

Saturday, July 9, 2022

California: Mayor appoints new San Francisco District Attorney to replace Chesa Boudin

San Francisco Mayor London Breed appointed Brooke Jenkins as the new District Attorney to replace Chesa Boudin, who was ousted on the June 7 primary. Jenkins is a former Assistant District Attorney and prominent opponent of Boudin -- she was featured in ads calling for his removal.

Jenkins will be running in the replacement race. Boudin has suggested that he may also run to replace himself. 

Friday, July 8, 2022

Ohio: Newton Falls to vote on signature gathering time limit

Newton Falls will be voting on a proposed 90 day time limit for signature gathering. Newton Falls saw significant drama and legal issues around its recalls last year, with a councilwoman eventually ousted.

Wednesday, July 6, 2022

California: Will the George Gascon Recall get to the ballot? A look at signature verification and failures rates

Update: 715,833 signatures are reported to have been handed in. 

Today is the due date for signatures to be handed in the recall of Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon. Petitioners have said that they will be handing in more than the 566,857 signatures needed to get on the ballot. This will be almost certainly the fifth most signatures handed in for any recall in US history and the most for any non-state-wide office. If it gets to the ballot, it would be the third most required (after the two California Governor recalls, above the Wisconsin Gov/Lt. Gov). But the real question is: Will it be enough?

I'll update this once we get the actual numbers, but the number to look for is about 700,000. As explained below, a large number of signatures will be rejected -- Based on past experience, we should probably expect about 20% will be declared invalid. So the 700,000 gets the petitioners in that range of what they need. 675K, they are very likely to fail. 725K, they are looking very good.

Let's look at the recent recalls to see why we think 20% is the right number:

  • In 2021, the Governor Gavin Newsom recall, which needed 1,495,709, saw a 19% failure rate across the state. Los Angeles County was almost a perfect mirror of the state, as 19.44% were rejected. Note that (as explained below), each signature was checked, as opposed to the sampling method that will take place in the Gascon recall (and the SF and Sonoma ones noted below).
  • In San Francisco, we had four prominent recalls in 2022. San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin saw 83,484 signatures handed in, and they needed 51,325. The sampling of 4174 signatures saw a 20.96% failure rate, more than enough to get on the ballot.
  • The three San Francisco school board members saw signature failure rates of 20.8% for Alison Collins; 20.64% for Gabriela Lopez and 19.74% for Faauuga Moliga. Each needed 51,325 signatures and they all had over 71,000 signatures handed in. So all were easily adopted. 
  • Shasta County Supervisor Leonard Moty's recall effort saw a 25.79% rejection rate, though they only needed 4308 to get to the ballot.
  • Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch recall in 2021 saw a 25.83% rejection rate (they needed 30,056 valids). 
  • (Update -- don't know why I left this out, probably because it didn't make the ballot) A recall effort against Los Angeles Councilmember Mike Bonin saw 39188 signatures handed in, but more than 13,000 were thrown out. They needed 27,317. They got 25,965. I don't see an official statement by the clerk though. So that is a rejection rate of about 34%. 
  • Going quite a bit further back, in 2003 Gray Davis gubernatorial recall, the failure rate was just under 18%.

So what's this about? As we’ve seen so often with recalls (and petitions in general), signatures will be tossed out. The reasons are usually mundane, which is what happens when you’re collecting signatures on the street and frequently paying people to collect. The problems range from the signers not being registered (based on the SF recalls, which has the info, the vast majority of failed signatures were due to not registered; second is wrong address) to signing more than once to living out of district or state or (in rarer instances) using fake names. While most recall attempts fail because petitioners do not hand in any signatures, over the last nine years (2012-2021) I count at least 146 recall attempts throughout the country in which petitioners handed in enough unverified signatures, but because of a high rejection rate resulted in the recall failing to get on the ballot. 40 of these rejections happened in California. So while not an everyday occurrence, signature failures are certainly something to consider.

In the past, I've seen articles suggesting that a general rule of thumb is a 10-15 percent failure rate, though I'm not sure where that is from (and the article links are now dead). We actually see a 10 percent number referenced in the law regarding local recalls.

 

Random Sampling Method:


Unlike at the state level, if there are more than 500 signatures submitted for the recall, the clerks use a random sampling verification technique (take sampling/determine the number of valid/extrapolate to the rest). Using this procedure, if valid signatures top 110 percent of the minimum number, the recall qualifies and moves to the ballot. (If it is between 90-110 percent, they verify each one. If it is below 90 percent, it fails). Note that the Sonoma County D.A. recall came in at 106%, requiring the manual recount.

 

Beyond the very recent recalls, we have some others worth considering. 


The last two state level recalls against state Senators saw significantly worse results for petitioners, even though the recalls got to the ballot. In 2018, the failure rate for the State Senator Josh Newman recall topped 25 percent (73.66 percent were validated).

 

The 2008 recall effort against State Senator Jeff Denham, saw a 41.5 failure rate (58.58 percent were validated). This verification was under the random sampling technique (the law was changed in 2018 to remove state level recalls, at least partially to slow the Newman recall effort).

 

There is another recent recall effort that is also worth considering.  In 2018, Santa Clara Judge Aaron Persky faced a recall, the first against a judge in California since 1932 (and the first in the US since 1982). The judicial district was much larger than a regular state senate one. Petitioners needed 58,634 signatures to get on the ballot. Using the random sampling rules, the registrar found that 3389 of 4727 signatures were valid. Since the petitioners handed in 94,539, this was more than enough to get on the ballot. But the failure rate was over 28 percent (the verification rate was 71.6 percent).

 

Do initiatives tell us anything on this front? Prop 22 was the most high profile initiative in the 2020 race, as petitioners spent more than $6.4 million to get on the ballot. Petitioners needed 623,212 and handed in 987,813 signatures. Once again using the random sampling method, 22.5 percent were found invalid (77.5 percent were verified). A similar result can be seen in a Proposition that required a higher signature total. Prop. 15, which spent nearly $6 million to get on the ballot, was a Constitutional Amendment, which therefore required 997,139. Once again, the random sampling method found 25.4 percent invalid (74.60 percent were verified).

 

In other states, we see a potentially different picture. The last state to hold a gubernatorial recall, Wisconsin had a very different recall law. As Richard Winger of Ballot Access News and Christian Schneider point out, Wisconsin allows the signatures of any eligible voter in the state, not just any registered voter (as in other states). This makes signature rejection much less likely.

 

The petitioners in the Scott Walker recall garnered an enormous cushion. They handed in 931,053 signatures and they only needed 540,000. At the end of the day,  900,938 were found valid (4,001 duplicates, 26,114 struck out by staff). This is a 3.2% failure rate. For Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch (who appeared on a separate petition), the failure rate was 4%.

 

The Wisconsin verification also appeared to be different and I am unsure if the fact that Governor Scott Walker effectively conceded the success of the signature gathering portion eliminated the challenges.


In the Senate races in Wisconsin in 2018 we saw some similar numbers. For
 the Senator Galloway petitions, there were 21,022 signatures handed in, and the GAB struck out 1,658. Galloway further challenged 863. The board did not bother looking at the challenged signatures. So the failure rate on the GAB was 7.8%. If we add in the Galloway protests, it is close to 12%. The Senator Wanggaard petitions are a little more complex, as he challenged many more signatures -- if all of his signature challenges had been approved, it would be about a 20% failure rate. From the board's review it was less than 3%. For Senator Moulton, the board threw out 5.7% of the signatures. His challenges would have pushed it up to about 11%. For Senator Fitzgerald, the board tossed out 4.1%. With his challenges, it would be just under 12%.
 

In the 2011 Wisconsin nine Senate recall races, we saw a higher rejection rate, but again it was not clear what was happening. Two petitions posted an alleged 25-27.5% failure rate, there are two (both Democrats) with a 17-18% failure rate, there are three with a 6-8%, and two with effectively zero.

 

What about the other state legislative recalls of the last decade? We have four to choose from.

 

In Colorado in 2013, two State Senators lost recall elections. Senate President John Morse (D) saw a 37.5 percent invalidation rate. Colorado historically seemed to have a high invalidation rate, so this wasn’t a surprise. But the second recall was. State Senator Angela Giron (D) saw a 6 percent invalidation rate with only 818 signatures tossed out of 13,466. Petitioners used a new program that allowed them to check the signatures, which explained their accuracy.

 

In 2011, there were two other recall efforts, with very different verification rates. Arizona Senate Majority Leader Russell Pearce recall saw a 42% failure rate. (Arizona also has a historically high failure rate on the local level). On the other hand, the 2011 Michigan State Rep Paul Scott recall had a 9.4% failure rate.

 

A last example to consider: The 2011 Miami-Dade Mayoral recall, which collected over 100,000 signatures, saw a 16% failure rate.

One other factor to consider is claims of deliberate signature fraud. There are a few examples of signing fraud. Japan just saw a crazy version of this, with the lead petitioner hiring people to simply copy the names out of the registration book. In general, widespread signature fraud appears to be both fairly rare and not that difficult to uncover.

 

That’s not to say that they won’t be made. The claim of deliberate fraud can certainly ignite a party’s base and help muddy the waters against a recall effort.  Much as in the last election, the Republicans banged this drum repeatedly in the Scott Walker recall campaign, where they claimed that a huge proportion of the signatures would be fake – the so-called Mickey Mouse signature.  However, elections officials claimed to have found only 5 fake names in the Walker petitions: Adolf Hitler, Mick E. Mous, Donald L. Duck, Fungky Van Den Elzen, and I Love Scott Walker Thanks. 

 

The Davis campaign seems to have had a similar argument, though once again it was the Republican side that made the claim. One of the companies that said they led the petition gathering efforts claimed that Davis forces ran a "blocking" campaign by hiring all the good signature gathering companies. They also intimated that Democrats were planning on submitting deliberately false signatures, though that seems unlikely (and crazy -- more likely than not, if the verification process missed a fake signature, it would have been included in the count).

 

One last issue --. Los Angeles requires that anyone who wants to remove their signatures from the petition does it the day before the signatures are handed in. This is different than the state law, which gives 30 business days to fight fire with fire and collect signatures from signers of the petition asking to have their names removed. This law was adopted during the Newman recall and did not work for him, but it did help out a Newport Beach CouncilmanNevada also saw uses of a similar provision. As we can see, it is unlikely to make a difference here.

Sunday, July 3, 2022

Illinois: Votes cast in favor of removing Dolton Mayor, but court decision may result in rejection of recall effort

The recall election of Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard led to a vote for removal, 1953-1532,  though court decisions likely mean that Henyard will not be removed by the June 28 recall vote

A judge ordered the clerk to not count the vote in two recall ballot measures (one asks for a recall law -- which succeeded 1948-1506 -- the other calls for Henyard to face a recall vote immediately). The issue seems to be that the measures are taking place at the same time, which is extremely odd.

A Cook County Circuit Court Judge has ruled in favor of efforts to stop the recall election against 

The recall does not seem to have signatures handed in, but was rather put on the ballot by the village board. 

Henyard faced a previous recall effort when she served as trustee, leading to an appellate court decision that the board cannot remove the official by a board vote but can have a recall. 

The recall is over a slew of complaints: taking a Township Supervisor job that pays $250,000 which seen as a conflict of interest; keeping the board from meeting, paying bills and refusing to show what is being paid, as well as hiring a code enforcement officer who spent 24 years in prison for kidnapping and sexual assault. 

Colorado: Poll from recall supporters say majority in favor of removing Douglas County School Board members

A new poll (sponsored by supporters of the recall effort) claim that voters are in favor of removing Douglas County School Board President Mike Peterson and members Becky Myers, Kaylee Winegar and Christy Williams. The group are facing recall threats after firing the school Superintendent Corey Wise. The story suggests that the board majority (who won office in November as a conservative slate) could not come up with a reason for the firing. 

Petitioners would need about 15,000 signatures to get the recall on the ballot. 

Texas: Uvalde Councilmember (and school police chief) resigns in face of recall threats

Uvalde Councilmember (and school district police chief) Pedro Arredondo has resigned from the council in the face of some recall threats. Arredondo missed two meetings and could have been expelled if he missed a third. He has been the subject of intense criticism due to the failures of law enforcement in the mass shooting and killing of 19 students and 2 teachers at an elementary school. Petitioners would have needed less than 50 signatures, but a recall could not have started until February. 

Virginia: Dueling debate on recall effort against Loudoun County Commonwealth Attorney

Loudoun County Commonwealth Attorney Buta Biberaj (equivalent to a District Attorney) has written a complaint against the recall effort taking place to oust her from office. Here's a letter to the editor in Loudon News attacking Biberaj's complaints. 

Biberaj is one of three Virgina Commonwealth Attorneys who faced recall efforts, including  Arlington County's Parisa Dehghani-Tafti and Fairfax County's Steve Descano.

The "Republican-linked" group, Virginians for Safe Communities, claimed they've raised $250,000 and have another $500,000 pledged  All three of the prosecutors were elected in 2019 with the support of George Soros' Justice and Public Safety PAC. This feel a part of the other prosecutorial recall attempts taking place in the country, including the notable removal of San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin. 

I haven't looked into this, but this could be either a Recall Trial (unlike to succeed), a recall vote (some place in Virginia have this on the local level -- I don't think it is allowed for county positions, but I haven't the time to check it out now) or completely rejected by the courts. I really don't know yet. 

Philippines: Mabinay mayor facing recall threats

 Mabinay Mayor Ernie "Django" Uy is facing recall threats after he won the May 9 election. 

California: Recalled San Francisco D.A. considers running in replacement race

After being ousted in a recall vote, former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin is leaving the door open to run in November or 2023.

Wisconsin: Orfordville Village President wins solo recall vote after previous president resigned

Orfordville Village Board President Dennis Burtness has won his "recall election" 75-2. Burtness faced the vote after signatures were handed in against previous President Gary Phillips. Phillips resigned in the face of a recall election (after signatures were handed in), so Burtness was on the ballot, though he was the only person running.

The issue seemed to be charges of overreaching into police department matters, which led to the resignation of the police chief. The replacement race will be held on June 28

Michigan: Petition language approved against two Rose Township officials

Petition language has approved Rose Township Supervisor Dianne Scheib-Snider and Treasurer Paul Gambka over their votes to spend $30,000 on a labor attorney. The language was rejected on the first try. Petitioners need 807 signatures each. 

Virginia: Prince William County Supervisor facing petitions

Prince William County Supervisor Pete Candland (R) is facing a recall effort over his support for a plan to change the zoning of property for a plan to switch zoning on certain properties, including his own, from agricultural to technology (as part of a plan to open up additional data centers in the area). 

Petitioners need 1796 signatures (10% of turnout). Since it is a county office, this would be a recall trial, meaning that a judge would decide whether Candland stays or goes based on whether he violated the law.

Oregon: Drain City Councilor facing recall vote on July 12

Drain City Councilor Jo Barker is up for a recall election on July 12. Barker is accused of a hostile work environment and complaints against a city administrator.

West Virginia: All seven Morgantown Council members facing petitions

All seven Morgantown Council members, M. Joe Abu Ghannam, Bill Kawecki, Ixva Vega, Jennifer Selin, Danielle Trumble, Dave Hashbarger and Brian Butcher, are facing recall petitions. Petitioners need about 4000 signatures (20% of turnout) to get to the ballot for each. The issues include complaints over new personnel rules opposed by the police and fire unions and complaints about council opposition to a "Big Guns" store. 

Petitioners also want to change term limits and align the elections with general election dates.

Update: Here's an editorial opposing the recall effort.