HB 1818 / SB 1580

This bill would create a process by which voters can petition to remove “non-constitutional” public officers from office via a recall election. Simply, this would allow for the recall of any elected official whose position has been solely created by the legislature, for example, school board members and city mayors and council members.

We support every measure possible that will bring an additional layer of accountability over our school boards. And we believe that the ability to petition to recall these board members is a step in the right direction.

Currently, this bill would require a number of signatures for a petition to equal 20% of the total number of registered voters in a particular district. In many cases, that would exceed the total voter turnout in an election. We hope to see this amended and the threshold for signatures changed to a more reasonable level.