Manifolds, Manolos, and Manure
How many times have you thought, “I just wish an elected official’s name term would end.” Believe it or not, 19 states including Illinois have recall provisions. Recall is a process by which voters can remove and replace an elected official before their term ends.
Recall is different from impeachment. Impeachment is a legal process. Recall is a political process.
Under Illinois law, only the Governor can be recalled at this time. The recall process requires that signatures are collected from 15 percent of the voters who cast a vote for governor in the proceeding general election. Those signatures must be from at least 25 counties. Also, signatures are required from 20 members of the House of Representatives and 10 members of the Senate, with no more than half of the signatures coming from the same political party.
Illinois has perhaps the most limited recall provisions of any of the 20 states that allow the process. Most of those states allow any statewide elected official, with the exception of judges, to be recalled.
Illinois was by no means the first state to adopt recall provisions; that honor goes to Michigan and Oregon (1908). More recently, Minnesota (1996) and New Jersey (1993) adopted recall procedures. Perhaps most interesting is that recall began with municipal recall in Los Angeles in 1903. So, it should come as no surprise that recall is far more common at the local level.
But not in the city of Chicago. However, House Bill 1084 introduced by Representatives La Shawn Ford of Chicago and Anthony DeLuca of Chicago Heights seeks to change that. The bill would create a procedure for a special recall election for the Mayor of Chicago and the election of a successor. The process set forth is remarkably similar to the process to recall the Governor. A petition must be signed by at least 15 percent of total votes cast for mayor in the preceding election, with at least 50 signatures from each ward. Additionally, the recall affidavit must be signed by the proponent of the recall petition and at least two aldermen.
Both Representative Ford and DeLuca are Democrats. It’s important to note that Representative Ford has introduced a recall provision in past General Assemblies.
On the other side of the aisle, Representatives Dan Ugaste of St. Charles and Tony McCombie of Savanna have introduced the Local Government Elected Officials Recall Act, which provides a process for local officeholders to be recalled. House 1304 has a much broader score than Ford’s bill, which is exclusive to the city of Chicago. Do note that House Bill 1304 limits home rule authority meaning that the recall provisions contained in it also applies to Chicago.
Recall elections at the state level are very difficult to accomplish. Historically, only two have been successful, including California Governor Gray Davis in 2003 and North Dakota Governor Lynn Frazier in 1921. Two other attempts garnered enough signatures to be placed on the ballot but were unsuccessful including California Governor Gavin Newsom in 2021 and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in 2012.
Despite recall procedures being somewhat infamous, Farm Bureau policy is silent on the issue. Members are encouraged to reach out to [email protected] with their opinions and comments.