Chris Bowman recall, Hampton, Virginia (2023-2024)
| Chris Bowman recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2024 Recalls in Virginia Virginia recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall City Councilman Chris Bowman did not go to a vote in Hampton, Virginia.[1][2]
Recall supporters
Former city council candidate Randy Bowman, no relation to Chris Bowman, organized the recall effort. The recall petition read:[1]
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We, the undersigned, petition for the removal of Councilman Christopher Bowman pursuant to Code of Virginia § 24.2-233 (1) and as authorized by the Charter of the City of Hampton 3A-1. We make this request because he has proven to be incompetent in the performance of the duties of his office and that incompetence has had a material adverse effect upon the conduct of that office. The following actions are the cause of the loss of confidence in his ability to govern. 1) By his own admission, Mr. Bowman has engaged in criminal solicitation of a prostitute (Code of VA § 18.2-346.01) 2) By his own admission, Mr. Bowman has engaged in deceptive behavior in that he did not advise his co-council or the city manager of this criminal behavior. 3) Mr. Bowman has engaged in behavior that is demeaning to women who have complained to the mayor. 4) Mr. Bowman’s behavior has subjected the City of Hampton and its residents to undue scrutiny and brought shame and embarrassment on same. 5) Mr. Bowman has refused to resign despite numerous calls from his constituency further demonstrating that he has no regard for the best interests of the city. [3] |
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Recall opponents
Chris Bowman did not respond to a request for comment from WAVY.[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Virginia
Virginia state law requires recall organizers to collect signatures equal to 10% of the number of votes cast at the previous election for the office of the officer facing recall. The Hampton charter, which takes precedence in this instance, requires signatures equal to 10% of the number of votes cast in the last election for the office of city council. Chris Bowman was last elected in 2020, but the last city council election in Hampton was in 2022. Based on the charter, vote totals from the 2022 election were used to calculate the number of signatures required to trigger a recall election.[4]
Recall organizers would have needed to collect 4,085 signatures in order to trigger a recall election.[4]
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
- Hampton, Virginia
- Recall campaigns in Virginia
- Political recall efforts, 2023
- Political recall efforts, 2024
- City council recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 WAVY, "Recall effort launched against Hampton Councilman caught in a sextortion case," September 28, 2023
- ↑ Yahoo News, "Man pleads guilty to extorting Hampton councilman for $12,000 over prostitute visit," July 16, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Virginian-Pilot, "Recall petition launched against Hampton Councilman Chris Bowman," October 5, 2023
