Gubernatorial recall effort against Mike Dunleavy

Last updated

The gubernatorial recall effort against Mike Dunleavy is an effort to petition a recall election to recall Governor Mike Dunleavy. It would be the second recall petition against a governor in Alaska history. The first recall petition filed against a governor, Governor Wally Hickel, failed. [1] The date of the likely election has yet to be determined due to the second recall petition still being underway. If the recall election is successful, Lieutenant Governor Kevin Meyer would become governor. [2]

Contents

Background

Recall petitions in Alaska

Recall petitions in Alaska have two rounds. In the first petition round a group of three sponsors forms a recall committee and then collects signatures from registered voters equal to 10% of votes cast in the previous general election. The recall committee then submits these signatures to the Alaska Division of Elections. The Division of Elections will either accept or refuse the petition. If accepted the recall committee shall then proceed to the second petition round and collect signatures equal to 25% of the votes cast in the previous general election. Once the second completed petition is submitted to the Division of Elections they will either accept or refuse the petition. If accepted the Division of Elections will schedule a recall election. [3]

The Alaska State Legislature sets the rules for recall elections. [4] In the event a recall is successful, the vacancy will be filled "as a vacancy caused by any other means". [5] If a recall election against the Governor of Alaska is successful, then the Lieutenant Governor of Alaska will finish the remainder of the term. [4]

The deadline to submit signatures for the petition is 180 days before the end of the governor's term which is June 8, 2022. [3]

Dunleavy recall petition

On July 15, 2019, an effort to recall Dunleavy began following a public backlash over his cuts to public assistance, education and the University of Alaska ($135 million cut to state funding, about a 41% reduction). To have the petition certified by the Division of Elections, the petitioners were required to submit 28,501 signatures (approximately 10% of the voting population in Alaska's last general election). [6] On September 5, 2019, volunteers submitted 49,006 petition signatures to the Alaska Division of Elections for certification. [7] On November 4, 2019, the Division of Elections declined to certify the recall petition following the issuance of a legal opinion by Alaska attorney general Kevin Clarkson, a Dunleavy appointee. Clarkson acknowledged that the petitioners had submitted sufficient signatures and paid the necessary fees, but asserted that "the four allegations against the governor 'fail to meet any of the listed grounds for recall—neglect of duty, incompetence, or lack of fitness'". The petitioners stated that they would appeal the division's decision. [8] In January 2020, Anchorage Superior Court Judge Eric Aarseth rejected the division's decision not to certify the recall petition. On May 8, 2020, the Alaska Supreme Court affirmed that the recall effort could go forward. [9] [10]

On February 18, 2021, the recall campaign announced they had reached 55,613 signatures out of the 71,252 required to submit the second petition to the Alaska Division of Elections. [11] As of August 21, 2021, they had collected 62,373 signatures out of the 71,252 according to the website. [12]

Campaign

On March 18, 2021, Governor Dunleavy said he believed the recall election would occur in the summer of 2021 and he planned to campaign to remain in office. [13] As of June 2022, not enough signatures have been collected. Dunleavy will be up for re-election in November 2022.

Polling

Dunleavy recall

Graphical summary
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size [lower-alpha 1]
Margin
of error
Yes
on recall
No
on recall
Undecided
DittmanResearch/Keep Dunleavy [upper-alpha 1] December 2–6, 2020502 (LV)± 4.4%39%57%4%
Public Policy Polling [upper-alpha 2] July 7–8, 20201,081 (V)± 3.0%39%46%15%
Alaska Survey Research June 23 – July 7, 2020663 (LV)± 3.8%44%50%6%
Alaska Survey Research April, 2020– (V) [lower-alpha 2] 42%48%11%
Alaska Survey Research December, 2019– (V) [lower-alpha 3] 48%48%4%
Alaska Survey Research September, 2019– (V) [lower-alpha 4] 50%42%8%

Notes

  1. Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  2. Not yet released
  3. Not yet released
  4. Not yet released
Partisan clients
  1. Poll sponsored by Keep Dunleavy, which opposes the recall
  2. Polling's funding was crowdsourced by Election Twitter.

Related Research Articles

A recall election is a procedure by which, in certain polities, voters can remove an elected official from office through a referendum before that official's term of office has ended. Recalls, which are initiated when sufficient voters sign a petition, have a history dating back to the constitution in ancient Athenian democracy and feature in several current constitutions. In indirect or representative democracy, people's representatives are elected and these representatives serve for a specific period of time. However, where the facility to recall exists, if any representative comes to be perceived as not properly discharging their responsibilities, they can be called back with the written request of a specific number or proportion of voters. Even where they are legally available, recall elections are only commonly held in a small number of countries including the United States, Peru, Ecuador, and Japan. They are considered by groups such as ACE Electoral Knowledge Network the most rarely used form of direct democracy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2003 California gubernatorial recall election</span>

The 2003 California gubernatorial recall election was a special election permitted under California state law. It resulted in voters replacing incumbent Democratic Governor Gray Davis with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. The recall effort spanned the latter half of 2003. Seven of the nine previous governors, including Davis, had faced unsuccessful recall attempts.

Benjamin Aavan Stevens is an American politician and political advisor who served as the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Alaska, Mike Dunleavy. He previously served as the President of the Alaska State Senate as a member of the Republican Party. Stevens is the son of the late United States Senator Ted Stevens, who served as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate from 2003 to 2007, as a Republican U.S. Senator from Alaska from 1968 to 2009; the third-longest-serving Republican in United States Senate history, and as the Solicitor of the Department of the Interior from 1960 to 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Brown</span> Governor of Oregon since 2015

Katherine Brown is an American politician and attorney serving as the 38th governor of Oregon since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she served three terms as the state representative from the 13th district of the Oregon House of Representatives from 1991 to 1997, three terms as the state senator from the 21st district of the Oregon Senate from 1997 to 2009, three terms as majority leader of the Oregon Senate from 2003 to 2009, as well as two terms as Oregon Secretary of State from 2009 to 2015. She assumed the governorship upon the resignation of John Kitzhaber in 2015. She was elected to serve out the remainder of his gubernatorial term in the special election in 2016 and was reelected to a full term in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Lynn</span> American politician (1933–2020)

Bob Lynn was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Alaska House of Representatives, representing the 31st district from 2003 to 2013 and the 26th district from 2013 to 2017. He served as Chair of the State Affairs Committee, was Vice-Chair of the Judiciary Committee, and was a member of the Transportation Committee and Joint Armed Forces Committees. He also served on the Labor & Workforce Development, Military & Veterans' Affairs, and Public Safety Finance Subcommittees, for the 28th Legislature. Bob Lynn is a retired fighter pilot with the United States Air Force and a Vietnam Veteran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 United States Senate election in Alaska</span> 2010 Senate election

The 2010 United States Senate election in Alaska took place on November 2, 2010, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Alaska, alongside 33 U.S. Senate elections in other states, elections in all states for the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as various state and local elections.

2011 Wisconsin Senate recall elections Recall electionsin Wisconsin

Recall elections for nine Wisconsin state senators were held during the summer of 2011; one was held on July 19, and six on August 9, with two more held on August 16. Voters attempted to put 16 state senators up for recall, eight Democrats and eight Republicans, because of the budget bill proposed by Governor Scott Walker and circumstances surrounding it. Republicans targeted Democrats for leaving the state for three weeks to prevent the bill from receiving a vote, while Democrats targeted Republicans for voting to significantly limit public employee collective bargaining. Scholars could cite only three times in American history when more than one state legislator has been recalled at roughly the same time over the same issue.

2013 Colorado recall election

The Colorado recall election of 2013 was a successful effort to recall two Democratic members of the Colorado Senate following their support of new gun control legislation. Initially four politicians were targeted, but sufficient signatures could only be obtained for State Senate President John Morse and State Senator Angela Giron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Dunleavy (politician)</span> Governor of Alaska since 2018

Michael James Dunleavy is an American educator and politician serving as the 12th governor of Alaska. A Republican, Dunleavy was a member of the Alaska Senate from 2013 to 2018. He defeated former Democratic United States senator Mark Begich in the 2018 gubernatorial election after incumbent governor Bill Walker dropped out of the race.

The Green Party of Alaska (GPAK) was a political party in the U.S. state of Alaska. It was the Alaska affiliate of the Green Party of the United States from its founding until 2021. The Green Party of Alaska was the first state to gain Green Party ballot access, in 1990, when Jim Sykes ran for governor. Sykes had previously filed a ballot access lawsuit, citing an earlier case, Vogler v. Miller.

2018 Alaska gubernatorial election Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Alaska

The 2018 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Alaska. In the primaries for recognized political parties, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run separately. The winners of each respective primary for governor and lieutenant governor then become a joint ticket in the general election for their political party. Incumbent independent governor Bill Walker was running for reelection in what was originally a three-way race between Walker, Republican nominee Mike Dunleavy, a former State Senator, and Democratic nominee Mark Begich, a former U.S. Senator. However, Walker dropped out on October 19, 2018 and endorsed Begich. In spite of Walker dropping out, Dunleavy defeated Begich in what would become the only gubernatorial gain by a Republican candidate in 2018.

2018 Alaska House of Representatives election

The 2018 Alaska House of Representatives election were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, with the primary election on August 21, 2018. Voters in the 40 districts of the Alaska House of Representatives elected their representatives. The elections coincided with the elections for other state offices, including the gubernatorial election and the state senate elections. While Republicans nominally gained a majority in the chamber, when the new House convened in 2019, Democratic members formed a coalition with Independents and dissident Republicans to re-elect Bryce Edgmon as Speaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Alaska</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Alaska, United States

The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Alaska on March 12, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Alaska gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Alaska

The 2022 Alaska gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2022, to elect the next governor of Alaska. Incumbent Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy is running for re-election to a second term. As of 2022, no incumbent Republican has been re-elected to a second term since Jay Hammond in 1978 and no incumbent governor, regardless of political affiliation, has been re-elected to a second term since Tony Knowles in 1998.

2020 Massachusetts ballot measures

Two ballot measures were certified for the November 3, 2020, general election in the state of Massachusetts. Multiple other ballot measures that were initiated by supporters did not meet requirements, thus will not appear on the ballot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois Governor Recall Amendment</span>

On November 2, 2010, Illinois voters approved the Illinois Governor Recall Amendment, a legislatively referred constitutional amendment to the Constitution of Illinois. The amendment changed the state constitution to allow recall elections of Illinois governors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 California gubernatorial recall election</span>

The 2021 California gubernatorial recall election was a special recall election that began in August 2021 and concluded on September 14, 2021, in which California voters chose not to recall incumbent Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, elected for the term January 2019 to January 2023.

Treg R. Taylor is an American attorney and politician serving as the Alaska Attorney General. He assumed office in an acting capacity January 30, 2021, succeeding Ed Sniffen, who resigned after being appointed to the position two weeks before.

2021 Seattle City Council 3rd district recall election Recall election

The 2021 Seattle City Council 3rd district recall election was held on December 7, 2021. Kshama Sawant, a member of the Seattle City Council from the 3rd district, defeated an attempt to recall her. This was the first recall election held in Seattle since the one held against Mayor Wesley C. Uhlman in 1975, and the first for a city councilor in the city's history.

Jennifer Erin Stuart Henderson is an American lawyer and judge from Alaska who has served as an associate justice of the Alaska Supreme Court since 2021.

References

  1. "Recall History" (PDF). elections.alaska.gov. Alaska Division of Elections. August 29, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  2. "Mike Dunleavy recall, Governor of Alaska (2019-2021)". ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "State Office Recall Petition Process". elections.alaska.gov. Alaska Division of Elections. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Alaska State Constitution". alaska.gov. State of Alaska. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  5. "Alaska Statutes Title 15 Section 15.45.700". akleg.gov. The Alaska State Legislature. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  6. Minemyer, Derek (August 12, 2019). "Alaskans mount effort to recall governor as huge budget cuts threaten education, Medicaid". nbcnews.com. NBC News. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  7. "Recall Dunleavy campaign turns in 49,000 signatures collected in 5 weeks". Anchorage Daily News. 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2019-09-07.
  8. "Alaska Division of Elections rejects recall petition for Gov. Dunleavy". Anchorage Daily News. November 4, 2019.
  9. Beran, Jaclyn (May 12, 2020). "Alaska Supreme Court rules Gov. Mike Dunleavy recall can proceed". Ballotpedia News. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  10. Bohrer, Becky (May 8, 2020). "Alaska Supreme Court: Recall effort can proceed". Juneau Empire. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  11. Brooks, James (February 21, 2021). "Recall campaign against Alaska Gov. Dunleavy approaches threshold needed to call for a statewide vote, backers say". adn.com. Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  12. "Recall Dunleavy" . Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  13. "Dunleavy asked about election plans on Action Line, he expects recall election to happen this summer". kinyradio.com. KINY800/94.9. March 18, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.