Clay Schexnayder recall, Louisiana House of Representatives (2020-2021)

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Louisiana House of Representatives recall
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Officeholders
Clay Schexnayder
Recall status
Did not go to a vote
See also
Recall overview
Political recall efforts, 2020
Recalls in Louisiana
Louisiana recall laws
State legislative recalls
Recall reports

An effort to recall Clay Schexnayder, a member of the Republican Party, from his elected position representing District 81 in the Louisiana House of Representatives was launched on September 18, 2020. Supporters of the recall had until March 17, 2021, to collect signatures from 25% of voters in state House District 81 to require a recall election. No signatures were turned in by the deadline.[1]

Schexnayder was elected to the state House in 2011. He was unopposed in his re-election bids in 2015 and 2019.

Recall supporters

The recall effort was filed by Blaine Thomas LeMaire and Larry Jean LeMaire Jr. on September 18, 2020. The recall petition cited "failure to support constituents" and "failure of elected duties" as the reasons for the recall of state Rep. Schexnayder.[2]

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in Louisiana

The information here is taken from the Louisiana Secretary of State's recall and is a guide to the recall process in Louisiana

1. Copy of recall petition is filed with SOS by the chairman of the recall committee, and it must "contain a clear statement of the reason or reasons for the recall."

2. The completed petition is submitted to the Registrar(s) of Voters:

  • Not later than 180 days after being filed with SOS.
  • 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 SOS.
  • 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.

3. The Registrar of Voters shall certify the recall petition:

  • within 15 working days after it is presented to him, or
  • within 20 working days after it is presented to him if the voting area contains more than 50,000 registered voters.

4. The petition is forwarded to the Governor if the required number of signatures are certified by the Registrar of Voters.

5. The Governor issues an election proclamation within 15 days after he receives the certified petition from the Registrar of Voters.

  • 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)
  • General Election Date: the proclamation shall be issued on or before the 46th day prior to the election. (same as propositions)

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. A copy of the petition and proclamation also shall be sent to the Secretary of State. (by the Governor)

9. 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.

10. 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 vacancy is then filled as usual. The recalled official cannot be appointed to fill the vacancy.

11. 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.[3]

Election history

2019

See also: Louisiana House of Representatives elections, 2019


Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Louisiana House of Representatives District 81

Incumbent Clay Schexnayder won election outright in the primary for Louisiana House of Representatives District 81 on October 12, 2019.

Candidate
Image of Clay Schexnayder
Clay Schexnayder (R)

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2015

See also: Louisiana House of Representatives elections, 2015

Elections for the Louisiana House of Representatives took place in 2015. A primary election was held on October 24, 2015, with a general election held in districts where necessary on November 21, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was September 10, 2015, at 4:30 p.m. CDT.[4]
Louisiana elections use the Louisiana majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article. Incumbent Chris Broadwater (R) was unopposed in the October 24 blanket primary. Larry Watts (R) withdrew before the primary.[5][6]

2011

See also: Louisiana House of Representatives elections, 2011

On November 19, 2011, Schexnayder won election to District 86 of the Louisiana House of Representatives. He faced Democrat Kevin Hull and fellow Republicans Laura O'Halloran, Gills Windham and Don Wheat in the primary election on October 22, 2011. Because Louisiana uses a blanket primary system, a candidate can be declared the overall winner of the seat by garnering 50 percent +1 of the vote in the primary. However, since no candidate reached this threshold, a general election took place on November 19, 2011 between Schexnayder and Hull.[7] Schexnayder defeated Hull to win the seat.[8]

Louisiana House of Representatives District 81 General Election, 2011
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngClay Schexnayder 64% 5,549
     Democratic Kevin Hull 36% 3,116
Total Votes 8,665
Louisiana House of Representatives, District 81 Blanket Primary, 2011
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngClay Schexnayder 41.2% 5,183
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngKevin Hull 25.6% 3,218
     Republican Don Wheat 13.6% 1,716
     Republican Gills Windham 12.9% 1,626
     Republican Laura O'Halloran 6.8% 851
Total Votes 12,594

Historical state legislative recalls

Ballotpedia tracked 145 recall efforts against 138 state lawmakers from 1913 to 2020. During that time, 39 recalls made the ballot and 22 state legislators were successfully recalled.[9]

Michigan led the way with 37 state legislative recall efforts from 1913 to 2020. Of those 37 recall efforts, three were successful. Wisconsin followed with 30 state legislative recall efforts. Six of those recalls were successful.

See also

External links

Footnotes