Doris Karloff recall, Saunders County, Nebraska (2021)

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Saunders County Board of Supervisors recall
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Officeholders
Doris Karloff
Recall status
Recall approved
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

External links

Footnotes