Recall Elections in the United States

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Recall Elections in the United States
vs.
vs. 134 others!!!

• TOPICS - What is a recall election?
• Which states do recalls?
• Petition and Grounds
• Recall election types
• History of recall elections
• the CALIFORNIA case 2003

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What is a recall election? Recall vote up
or down to fire an elected official before end
of the term - ¾ of all recalls are
local school boards, city council - less
than 1/3 are successful different than
impeachment quasi-legal recalls are purely
political in justification

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18 States w/ state office recall

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• Process Petition and Grounds
• Which officials can be recalled?...
• in about ½ of recall states, ALL state
  officials are eligible for recall
• Petition / signatures usually as a votes in
  last election for that office
• KS 40 LA 33 10 states 25
• ID 20 GA / OR / RI 15
• CA / MT 12 or less!!

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Process Petition and Grounds Grounds
def. needed in only 7 states! AK lack of
fitness, incompetence, corruption GA malfeasanc
e, failure to perform duties KS felony,
misconduct, incompetence MN serious
malfeasance or nonfeasance MT physically/menta
lly unfit ? incompetent RI indicted on felony,
convicted misdemeanor WA malfeasance
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Recall Elections different types

• Recall only if successful recall, seat is
  vacant and filled by a special election later!!
  10 states
• vs.
• Recall with replacement simultaneous elections
  for both recall and vote for a new
  officeholder!
• 2 step y / n replacement candidates
• 1 step current official on ballot w/ others

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History of recall elections in U.S.

• it is RARE!
• Only governor recalled (pre-03) was in ND
  1921
• AZ governor impeached before a recall in 1988
• CA has loose rules recall signature drives have
  been tried 32 times vs. Govs Davis 1st
  success
• CA Qualify 3,500 filing fee 65 signatures,
  or
• you can gather10,000 signatures
• Cost state/counties paid about 70 million
• Campaigns top two spent 18 million each!

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• CALIFORNIA (2003) campaign
• What did you learn about
• Why Gray Davis was so unpopular?
• The campaign many candidates
• Arnold Schwarzenegger

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CALIFORNIA (2003) results Turnout 57 statewide
higher than 02 race (50)... recall
http//www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2003/recall/ replac
ement http//www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2003/recall/pag
es/governor/ candidates Who ran? Click on
Bustamante, McClintock, Camejo, Huffington,
Ueberroth, Flynt, Coleman, Carey, etc

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Pros/Cons of Recall Elections
PRO (1) (2) (3) (4) CON (1) (2) (3)
(4) (5)
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Pros/Cons of Recall Elections
PRO (1) Gives voters power over unresponsive
official (2) Allows voters to fire an
incompetent officials (3) Allows voters to
fire a corrupt politician (4) Overall,
increase participatory democracy CON (1)
Costly to run multiple elections! (2) Officials
are afraid to make politically tough
(but right) decisions, fearing voters
wrath (3) Undermines the very point of terms of
office (4) Low requirements can make election a
joke (5) Divides the political parties
internally (CA ex.)
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QUESTIONS or comments?