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Blake Joseph recall, Deadwood, South Dakota (2025)
| Blake Joseph recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in South Dakota South Dakota recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Deadwood City Commissioner Blake Joseph is underway in Deadwood, South Dakota.[1] The recall election has been postponed after 4th Circuit Court Judge Eric Strawn granted a temporary restraining order filed by Joseph, pausing all action on the recall petition until a hearing on December 11, 2025.[2]
Recall supporters
Recall organizers cited the following reasons for Joseph's recall in a petition filed with the city of Deadwood:[3]
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WE, THE UNDERSIGNED qualified voters of the municipality of Deadwood, state of South Dakota, petition for a candidate election to be held for the purpose of recalling Blake Joseph from the office of City Commissioner, based on the following grounds: I. Misconduct Commissioner Blake Joseph has engaged in repeated and disturbing patterns of behavior that amount to misconduct, including:
II. Crimes Committed While in Office ice Commissioner Joseph has displayed disregard for the law, including:
II. Oppression and Abuse of Office
IV. Gross Partiality
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Recall opponents
Speaking to KOTA Territory News, Joseph said, "There are multiple facts that are flying around and I think they are sowed out of defamation. You know, incidents that could arise from the past, things that I was not allowed to talk about or add a voice to. And even coming in here, I am asked about questions about ongoing cases. As a professional, we do not speak about those things until they are finished. Again, I tell you, I would like to know and talk to the people who filled out the petition to see what their actual grievances are. I have yet to hear from those people."[5]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in South Dakota
South Dakota allows the following grounds for recall: misconduct, malfeasance, nonfeasance, crimes in office, drunkenness, gross incompetency, corruption, theft, oppression, or gross partiality. To get the recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures equal to 15% of the registered voters of the relevant jurisdiction, based upon the total number of registered voters at the last preceding general election in the jurisdiction. Signatures must be collected within 60 days.[6]
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Deadwood, South Dakota
- Recall campaigns in South Dakota
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- City council recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Black Hills Pioneer, "Petition to recall Deadwood commissioner deemed valid," accessed October 10, 2025
- ↑ Black Hills Pioneer, "Deadwood officials unable to set special election date following temporary restraining order," accessed October 16, 2025
- ↑ City of Deadwood, "Petition for recall in the municipality of Deadwood, South Dakota," accessed September 30, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ KOTA Territory News, "Deadwood City Commissioner speaks out about recall election," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ South Dakota Codified Laws, "9-13-30. Petition for recall--Number of signatures--Grounds--Time limits--Challenge to petition." accessed October 16, 2023
