Recall Election Information

Recall Elections

A petition for recall is limited to the request that an election be called and held in the voting area for the purpose of recalling a public officer. No recall petition may be submitted for certification to or accepted for certification by the registrar of voters or any other official if less than six months remain in the term of office.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON RECALLS

1. All recall petitions shall be on a form provided by the secretary of state and approved by the attorney general or on a form which contains the same information as required by the approved form and any petition not on such a form shall be invalid. Copy of recall petition is filed with secretary of state by the chairman of the recall committee prior to entering any signatures. Once the first signature is obtained, the recall petition becomes a public record with the chairman or vice chairman, when acting as the chairman, as custodian. After the petition is submitted to the registrar of voters for certification, the chairman or vice chairman, when acting as the chairman, shall no longer be the custodian.

Recall Petition Form (For All Officials Except Statewide) (PDF)
Recall Petition Form (For Statewide Officials) (PDF)

2. All signatures on recall petitions shall be handwritten. The petition shall be signed by 33 and 1/3 of the qualified electors of the voting area wherein a recall election is petitioned, or 40 percent of the qualified electors within the voting area where fewer than 1,000 qualified electors reside in the voting area. Contact the registrar of voters for the total number of eligible voters of the voting area.

3. The completed petition is submitted to the registrar(s) of voters for certification:
    a. Not later than 180 days after being filed with secretary of state, except in (b) below.
    b. If there are fewer than 1000 qualified electors in the voting area, the petition shall be
    submitted not later than 90 days after being filed with secretary of state.
    c. If the final day for submitting the petition falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday,
    the deadline shall be on the next day which is not a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday.

4. The registrar of voters shall certify the recall petition:
    a. within 15 working days after it is presented to him, or
    b. within 20 working days after it is presented to him if any parish wholly or partially within
    the voting area contains more than 50,000 registered voters.

5. The petition is forwarded to the governor after the recall petition is certified by the registrar of voters.

6. The governor issues an election proclamation within 15 days after he receives the certified petition from the registrar of voters, if the required number of qualified electors of the voting area signed the recall petition.
    a. Primary Election Date: the proclamation shall be issued on or before the last day for
    candidates to qualify in the election (last day of qualifying).
    b. General Election Date: the proclamation shall be issued on or before the 46th day prior
    to the election (same as propositions).

In all cases where the governor is the subject of the recall petition, the secretary of state shall issue the proclamation and act in all matters where it is made the duty of the governor to act. If the secretary of state is the subject of the recall petition, the governor shall act instead of the secretary of state.

7. Immediately after the issuance of the proclamation, the governor shall publish the proclamation in the official journal of each parish where the recall election is to be held.

8. Within 24 hours after issuing the proclamation, the governor shall send a copy of the petition and proclamation, by registered or certified mail, to the clerk of the district court for each parish in which the recall election will be held.

9. A copy of the petition and proclamation also shall be sent to the secretary of state (by the governor).

10. Within 24 hours after receiving the copies, the secretary of state shall notify all other election officials in the parish(es) where the recall election is to be held.

11. If the recall passes, the public officer is recalled and removed from office and the office is declared vacant when the election returns are certified to the secretary of state. The office shall be filled as in the case of ordinary vacancies and according to the constitution and laws of the state. The recalled official cannot be appointed to fill the vacancy; however the recalled official may qualify to be a candidate in the special election to fill the vacancy.

12. If the recall fails, no recall election for the same official shall be held within 18 months from the date of the failed recall election.

View the chart showing the recent history of recall elections held in Louisiana.