Article: http://www.bayoubuzz.com/News/…
Papers have been filed with the Office of the Louisiana Secretary of State which started the process requiring sufficient signatures to force a recall election for the office held by Representative Cao.
What is a recall election? As many people may remember, the recent recall election in California that can be summed up as a clusterf*** of a race. You can see a picture of the ballot here: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wi…
Of the 135 candidates, notable ones include: Tom McClintock, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cruz Bustamente, Gary Coleman, Larry Flynt, Arianna Huffington, etc.
One elected official, State Representative Juan A. LaFonta, Democrat of District 96 told Bayoubuzz that he does not know about the existence of the petition but that he would sign it.
“We don’t need Cao to be Steve Scalise”, said LaFonta. Scalise is a Republican who represents a neighboring conservative Congressional District. “People are starving and Cao needs to represent the people of the district”, LaFonta said.
The group of ministers who filed the petition want to make sure that he faces a recall which could be a very daunting act, if not impossible act in Louisiana based upon the state’s history.
So what are the rules for a recall election in Louisiana and what is the likelihood of a recall election? First, you have 180 days to get 33% of signatures of voters in the district. A high bar, to say the least.
Two local African-American Ministers have launched a recall petition against newly elected Second District Congressman Anh “Joseph” Cao that already reportedly has over 12,000 signatures in its first week. Rev. Toris Young, President of the Louisiana Ministerial Alliance of Churches for All Peoples, has joined with his fellow Minister Aubry Wallace to attempt to obtain the verified signatures of more than 101,000 registered voters in the 2nd District, more than a third of the registered electorate, in just 180 days.
Link: http://www.bayoubuzz.com/News/…
12,000 signatures in 7 days is a pace that can succeed, but can the religious and political leaders in the district maintain such a vigorous pace? Time will tell. (Original H/T to DK but I looked up the CA ballot and Louisiana law myself)
Didn’t know recalls were possible for congressmen. It should be attempted at the very least given how out of touch Cao is.
So, they need more than 101,000 signatures of registered voters? That’s over three times the number of people who actually voted for Cao and about 34,000 more than voted for all candidates combined.
for federal office? Even if they succeed in getting the signatures and recalling Cao (which I think is certain if it gets on the ballot), he may not be required to leave.
he does not have a brain in his head. He had no grasp or idea of the political issues. All he was able to say when he was elected was a stuttering about banning abortion. Since then he has not voted with Democrats on anything. Despite representing the most liberal district probably every represented by a Republican he is voting as an arch-conservative. His two votes against the stimulus package did it for him and Castle. They are both going down. I hope he gets recalled.
Cao will probably get recalled and Jefferson wins the special election.
I remember reading that some Republican tried to recall Senator Frank Church of Idaho in the 1960’s. I believe that the effort was deemed as going against the Constitution because Senator Church was a federally elected Senator.
I don’t know about this recall situation, but it could set a dangerous precedent for federal offices. I just hope Cedric Richmond runs for this seat in 2010 and wins. He was backed by Ben Cohen and the Sensible Priorities crowd in the election last time I believe.
I really don’t like the idea of recalling someone because you don’t like the way they are doing their job — whether it be Gray Davis or Joseph Cao. He won the election fair-and-square, and I think this would open up a potentially very dangerous precedent. I think recalls should be reserved, where allowed, for issues of corruption or severe ethics violations, and not because the voters of a district didn’t like the person they put in.
I completely agree with Indiana Progressive. While some Congressional voting may be politically calculated, recalling a Congressman, if legal (which I doubt), sets a bad precedent. If allowed, it will mean that every vote will be subject to political considerations, first and foremost. Recalls should be reserved for illegal or unethical activities. Congressional voting should be rewarded/punished at the ballot box. If the voters make a bad choice…..actions have consequences.