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Doris Karloff recall, Saunders County, Nebraska (2021)
| Saunders County Board of Supervisors recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| December 14, 2021 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2021 Recalls in Nebraska Nebraska recall laws County commission recalls Recall reports |
A recall election against Doris Karloff (R), District 2 representative of the seven-member Saunders County Board of Supervisors in Nebraska, was held on December 14, 2021.[1] A majority of voters cast ballots in favor of the recall, approving the motion to remove Karloff from office.[2]
The recall effort began in July 2021. To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters had to collect 573 signatures in 30 days.[3][4] Recall supporters submitted the signatures by the deadline, and the county verified 581 signatures, allowing the recall to be put on the ballot.[5]
Karloff won re-election to a four-year term on the seven-member board in the general election on November 3, 2020. She defeated three other Republicans in the primary on May 12, 2020, but she faced no opposition in the general election.[6][7][8]
Recall vote
Doris Karloff recall, 2021
Doris Karloff lost the Saunders County Board of Supervisors District 2 recall election on December 14, 2021.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✖ | Yes |
72.5
|
713 | ||
No |
27.5
|
271 | |||
Total Votes |
984 | ||||
|
|
Recall supporters
The recall effort was started by Rhonda Carritt, a resident of Wahoo, Nebraska, which was represented by Karloff on the county board of supervisors. Carritt said Karloff was not representing "the best interests of the district."[3] Carritt confirmed with the Wahoo Newspaper that the recall was related to a solar farm project in the county among other things.[9]
The recall statement said:[3]
| “ | The residents of Saunders County District 2 hold that our elected Supervisor Doris Karloff has not represented the best interests of the district [...] Choosing to ignore recommendations of the county planning board, favoring big business over its residents, putting personal and family gain above the residents and being out of touch with her constituents. For this, Karloff should be recalled.[10] | ” |
Recall opponents
In reaction to the recall, Karloff said the reasons listed in the recall petition were not valid. She said she believed the recall effort stemmed from the board's decision to approve a conditional use permit for a solar farm in her district. Karloff's son went into contract with the company starting the solar farm. Because of that connection, Karloff abstained from all discussions on the permit and did not vote on any actions related to the solar farm. She did not attend the meeting in which the permit was approved.[3]
“I have tried to do my best to make sure that I was doing everything legally correct,” Karloff said.[3]
Karloff also noted that a recall election would cost the county thousands of dollars. County Clerk and Election Commissioner Patti Lindgren estimated that it would cost approximately $5,725 for a mail-in recall election.[11]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Nebraska
The recall petition was filed with the Saunders County Clerk on July 21, 2021. Karloff had until August 11, 2021, to submit her defense statement. To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters had to collect 573 signatures in 30 days. The number of signatures were equal to "thirty-five percent of the total vote cast for that office in the last general election."[3][12]
Recall supporters submitted the signatures by the deadline, and the county verified 581 signatures, allowing the recall to be put on the ballot. The county had 21 days to schedule the recall election.[5] The Saunders County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on October 12, 2021, scheduling the recall election for December 14, 2021.[1]
See also
- Saunders County, Nebraska
- Recall campaigns in Nebraska
- Political recall efforts, 2021
- County commission recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Wahoo Newspaper, "Election date set for Karloff recall vote," October 13, 2021
- ↑ 6 News, "Recall election for Saunders County Board member," December 14, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Wahoo Newspaper, "Recall filed for Supervisor Karloff," July 28, 2021
- ↑ Saunders County Board of Supervisors, "Board Members," accessed July 30, 2021
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Wahoo Newspaper, "Recall earns required signatures," September 30, 2021
- ↑ Saunders County Clerk, "Official Election Results: General Election November 3, 2020," accessed October 22, 2021
- ↑ Saunders County Clerk, "Official Results: Primary Election May 12, 2020," accessed October 22, 2021
- ↑ Saunders County, Nebraska, "Board Members," accessed October 22, 2021
- ↑ Wahoo Newspaper, "Karloff recall related to Yutan solar farm," August 4, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Wahoo Newspaper, "Karloff submits response to recall," August 18, 2021
- ↑ Nebraska Legislature, "Nebraska Revised Statute 32-1303," accessed July 30, 2021
