Doug Ericksen recall, Washington State Senate (2017)
| Washington State Senate recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2017 Recalls in Washington Washington recall laws State legislative recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Doug Ericksen, a member of the Republican Party, from his elected position representing District 42 in the Washington State Senate was launched on February 9, 2017.[1] Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis dismissed the petition for the recall on March 2, 2017.[2]
Timeline
- February 9, 2017: Michael Shepard filed paperwork with the Whatcom County Auditor's office.
- March 2, 2017: Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis dismissed the petition for the recall .
Background
In January 2017, President Donald Trump (R) appointed Ericksen to serve as the communications director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the 2017 White House transition. At the time of the appointment, Ericksen, who was Trump's Washington state deputy campaign director throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, said that he intended to remain in the Washington State Senate while holding his position with the EPA. "I am going to be racking up frequent-flier miles like you won’t believe," said Ericksen.[3]
The initiator of the recall, Michael Shepard, said that Ericksen's decision not to resign was what led him to file recall paperwork with the Whatcom County Auditor's office. "This is not a partisan issue. We are looking for appropriate use of taxpayer dollars and the time we expect our representative to be working for us," said Shepard, adding, "We congratulate the senator on his appointment and believe those duties require full-time responsibilities just like those in Washington state."[1]
Following the November 2016 general election, Republicans held a 25 to 24 member majority due to one Democratic senator's decision to caucus with the Republican Party. Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee won re-election in November 2016, and Democrats in the Washington House of Representatives maintained a 50 to 48 majority, making Washington one of 19 states under divided government at the beginning of 2017.
In Washington, if a recall of a state senator is successful, it creates a vacancy in the chamber.
If there is a vacancy in the Washington State Legislature, the board of county commissioners where the vacant seat is located has the responsibility to select a replacement. The county central committee of the political party that last held the seat must submit a list of three candidates to the board of county commissioners representing the vacant district. If the vacancy occurs in the office of a joint senator or joint representative, the state central committee is responsible for submitting the list of three candidates. A selection must be made within 60 days after the vacancy occurred. The person appointed will hold the seat until his or her successor is elected at the next general or special election in November.[4]
See sources: Washington Const. Art. 2, Sec. 15
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Washington
Article I, §33 of the Washington Constitution says that a recall can only occur if the targeted public official has engaged in the "commission of some act or acts of malfeasance or misfeasance while in office, or who has violated his oath of office."
Recall efforts in Washington must first be approved by a judge. On March 2, 2017, Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis ruled that there were insufficient grounds for a recall of Ericksen to move forward. Montoya-Lewis stated that the arguments put forward by the supporters of Ericksen's recall were based "on the way in which some of his constituencies would like him to carry out his duties, but not a legal requirement about how he must carry out those duties. Therefore, the court concludes that is best answered through the electoral process rather than the recall process."[2]
A petition for recall in Washington must include a specified number of valid signatures from registered voters determined as a percentage of total votes cast for all candidates who ran for the office in the most recent election contest. This amounts to:
- 25 percent for state officers, other than judges, senators and representatives; city officers of cities of the first class; school district boards in cities of the first class; county officers in counties of the first, second and third classes,
- 35 percent for officers of all other political subdivisions, cities, towns, townships, precincts, and school districts not otherwise mentioned; and state senators and representatives.
To have placed a recall of Ericksen on the ballot in Washington, supporters of the recall would have needed to gather 18,061 signatures over a period of six months.[1]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Doug Ericksen recall Washington. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lyden Tribune, "Recall effort starts against Sen. Ericksen," February 15, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bellingham Herald, "Judge: Insufficient grounds for recall of Sen. Ericksen to continue," March 2, 2017
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "Trump administration taps 2 Washington state GOP legislators to help reshape EPA," January 23, 2017
- ↑ Washington Legislature, "Washington Constitution - Section Article II, Section 15," accessed February 8, 2023
 |
State of Washington Olympia (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |