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A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office. Along with the initiative and referendum, it was one of the major electoral reforms advocated by leaders of the Progressive movement in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This movement was less than successful because in the United States recall elections are currently prohibited in the federal system. The majority of states allow recall elections in local jurisdictions, but only 18 states permit recall elections to remove statewide officers (as of 2006). [1]

Contents 1 Representative recall in Canada 2 Recall in the Venezuelan constitution of 1999 3 Recall in the United States 3.1 California 4 List of recall elections 4.1 Unsuccessful attempts at recall 5 See also 6 Books and monographs 7 References

The Canadian province of British Columbia enacted representative recall in 1995. In that province, voters in a provincial riding can petition to have a sitting representative removed from office, even a Premier presently leading a government. If enough registered voters sign the petition, the Speaker of the legislature announces before the House that the member has been recalled and a by-election follows as soon as possible, it gives the opportunity to replace the politician in question. In January 2003, a record twenty-two recall efforts had been launched. No one has technically been recalled, however, the recall of Paul Reitsma in 1998 looked to have enough signatures to succeed. During the secondary verification stage, Reitsma resigned and the recall count ended. In Canada, the Governor-General and Lieutenant-Governors can also theoretically call federal and provincial elections at will, but have never done so without the request of the corresponding first minister.

Article 72 of the 1999 Constitution of Venezuela enables a recall of any elected representative, including the president, and has been used in the Venezuelan recall referendum, 2004:

Article 72: All [...] offices filled by popular vote are subject to revocation.

Once one-half of the term of office to which an official has been elected has elapsed, a number of voters representing at least 20% of the registered voters in the affected constituency may petition for the calling of a referendum to revoke that official's mandate.

When a number of voters equal to or greater than the number of those who elected the official vote in favour of the recall, provided that a number of voters equal to or greater than 25% of the total number of registered voters vote in the recall referendum, the official's mandate shall be deemed revoked and immediate action shall be taken to fill the permanent vacancy as provided for by this Constitution and by law.

In the eighteen U.S. states that today allow the recall of state officials, only two Governors have ever been successfully recalled. In 1921, North Dakota's Lynn J. Frazier was recalled over a dispute about state-owned industries, and in 2003, California Governor Gray Davis was recalled over mismanagement of the state budget.

The movement to allow recall elections in California was spearheaded by then-Governor Hiram Johnson as a "precautionary measure by which a recalcitrant official can be removed". It was instituted as a way for the populace to fight back against political corruption and the powerful railroads and banks, which had enormous influence on state governments.

Until Gray Davis' recall in October 2003, no California statewide official had ever been recalled, though there were 117 previous attempts. Only seven of those attempts even made it onto the ballot, all for state legislators. In California, every Governor since Ronald Reagan in 1968 has been subject to a recall effort, but none until Gray Davis, the 37th Governor of California, had to face a special recall election. In 2003, several million citizens petitioned the government for a gubernatorial recall election. Davis pointed out that, if he was recalled, any candidate with a plurality vote could win the election, but he needed fully 50% of the vote to stay in charge.

• 1921 North Dakota recall
• 1978 Cleveland Recall Election
• 2003 California recall
• 2004 Venezuela recall
• 2005 recall of Spokane, Washington, mayor James E. West

• Paul Reitsma, a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada, resigned when a recall petition against him looked about to succeed.^[1]
• Saundra McFadden-Weaver, a Kansas City, Missouri councilwoman, was the subject of an unsuccessful recall attempt in late 2004 and early 2005, the first in Kansas City history.^[2]

• This entry is related to, but not included in the elections and voting series. Other related articles can be found at the Politics Portal.
• Motion of no confidence
• Right of recall
• Ostracism, the process by which Athenians could ban a possible tyrant from the city.

• O direito de revogação do mandato político representativo (Brazilian Portuguese)

1. ^ Article in the Canadian Parliamentary Review, Vol 21, Number 3, 1998
2. ^ Article, reported by The Pitch on January 6, 2005