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Jared Polis recall, Governor of Colorado (2019)
| Colorado Governor recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2019 Recalls in Colorado Colorado recall laws State executive recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a member of the Democratic Party, was approved for circulation on July 8, 2019. Arthur Steele Graham and Barbara Ruth Hernandez submitted the recall petition. Supporters had until September 6, 2019, to collect 631,266 signatures to force a recall election.[1][2]
On September 6, 2019, organizers of the recall effort announced that they did not have the required number of signatures to recall Gov. Polis. In total, the group said they collected around 300,000 signatures.[3]
Recall supporters criticized Polis because he signed legislation related to firearms, oil and gas, the national popular vote, and sex education during the 2019 legislative session.[4] After the recall was announced, Gov. Polis' office issued a statement in response.
To read more on the recall efforts against Colorado state legislative members in 2019, click here.
Polis was elected as Colorado's governor in 2018 with 53.4% of the vote. Prior to the 2018 election, John Hickenlooper (D) served as governor from 2011 to 2019.
Recall supporters
The recall effort was organized by a group called Dismiss Polis. According to Colorado Politics, the group was trying to recall Polis over legislation that he signed during the 2019 state legislative session. The legislation included a gun bill, an oil and gas regulation bill, as well as legislation related to the national popular vote.[4] The gun bill was designed to temporarily remove guns from people who are deemed a threat to themselves or others. The oil and gas bill was designed to give local governments more control over regulating the industry and also mandates that the state emphasize safety over promoting oil and gas production. Both bills were signed by Gov. Polis (D) in April 2019.[5][6] Polis signed legislation in March 2019 that would award Colorado's electoral college votes to the winner of the national popular vote.[7] The sex education bill updated the state’s curriculum for school districts that offer that education. The bill added instruction on such things as sexual orientation, consent, STDs, and pregnancy prevention.[8]
The Dismiss Polis website said the following about the recall effort:[9]
| “ |
In less than six months, Governor Jared Polis and his socialist legislature have pushed through 460 bills, many of which have gone against the desires of the people of Colorado. One particular bill was even shoved through in the dead of night during the Bomb Cyclone snow storm! This is NOT the Government that Jared Polis promised us! When elected, Polis spoke of the divisiveness in Washington and promised collaboration and integrity under his governorship of Colorado. Instead, we have seen an elevated level of partisan politics, a push forward on his socialist agenda and complete disrespect for the will of the voters! It is time for Colorado to take back our state! [10] |
” |
The petition listed the following legislation as the reasons for recall:[11]
| “ |
Governor Jared Polis should be recalled because he supported and signed:
|
” |
Karen Kataline, the spokeswoman for Dismiss Polis, said on September 6 that the group failed to collect the required number of signatures to recall the governor. She said that the group collected about 300,000 signatures. Kataline also said of the failed recall effort that petition circulators and signers “are deeply worried that Colorado is becoming unrecognizable. If they don’t stand up and try to stop it, Colorado will no longer be a place in which they want their children and grandchildren to live. The last legislative session was a shock to the senses.”[12]
Recall opponents
After the recall was announced, Gov. Polis' office issued the following statement:[4]
| “ |
The Governor is focused on governing for all of Colorado and ensuring that every Coloradan - no matter their zip code or political affiliation - has the opportunity to succeed. During his first six months in office, the Governor has created bipartisan solutions to lower the cost of health care, ensure every kid can go to free full-day kindergarten this fall, and cut taxes for small businesses. The Governor will continue to reach across the aisle and hopes that, by tackling key issues for Coloradans, we will continue to bring people together and focus on what unites us. [10] |
” |
After the recall effort ended, Polis made the following statement: “After all that fuss, I was pleasantly surprised that they didn’t turn in a single signature on the recall. I hope the remaining misguided efforts against others see the same results as Tom Sullivan’s did before. Recalls should not be used for partisan gamesmanship.”[12]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Colorado
First, a recall petition must be filed with the office in which nomination petitions are filed for the office that is being recalled. Generally, this office is the Colorado Secretary of State. The petition must include a statement of no less than 200 words explaining the ground on which the official is to be recalled. This regulation is for the benefit of citizens who will sign the petition.
After the petition is approved by the Secretary of State, circulation of the petition may begin. Petitioners have 60 days to gather the proper number of signatures. The number of valid signatures required to force a special recall election is 25% of the votes cast in the last election for the official being recalled. After the proper number of signatures have been gathered the petition is submitted to the office in which it was filed to be deemed sufficient. This entails verifying the signatures. Once the petition has been deemed sufficient, the office in which it was filed will deliver the petition along with a certificate of its sufficiency to the governor who will then set a date for the recall election.
The recall petition targeting Polis was approved for circulation by the secretary of state on July 8, 2019. Supporters of the recall needed to collect 631,266 signatures by September 6, 2019, to force a recall election.[1] Supporters announced on September 6 that they did not have enough signatures to recall Gov. Polis.[3]
Election history
2018
General election
General election for Governor of Colorado
Jared Polis defeated Walker Stapleton, Scott Helker, and Bill Hammons in the general election for Governor of Colorado on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jared Polis (D) | 53.4 | 1,348,888 |
 | Walker Stapleton (R) | 42.8 | 1,080,801 | |
| Scott Helker (L) | 2.8 | 69,519 | ||
 | Bill Hammons (Unity Party) | 1.0 | 25,854 | |
| Total votes: 2,525,062 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Korey Paul Starkey (Independent)
- Veronique Bellamy (G)
- George Allen Cantrell (Constitution Party)
- Michael Wilbourn (Independent)
- Kathleen Cunningham (Unaffiliated)
- Paul Willmon (Unaffiliated)
- Richard Osada (Independent)
- Matthew Wood (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Colorado
Jared Polis defeated Cary Kennedy, Michael Johnston, and Donna Lynne in the Democratic primary for Governor of Colorado on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jared Polis | 44.5 | 283,340 |
 | Cary Kennedy | 24.7 | 157,396 | |
 | Michael Johnston | 23.5 | 149,884 | |
 | Donna Lynne | 7.3 | 46,382 | |
| Total votes: 637,002 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Noel Ginsburg (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Governor of Colorado
Walker Stapleton defeated Victor Mitchell, Greg Lopez, and Doug Robinson in the Republican primary for Governor of Colorado on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Walker Stapleton | 47.7 | 239,861 |
| Victor Mitchell | 30.1 | 151,585 | ||
 | Greg Lopez | 13.2 | 66,432 | |
 | Doug Robinson | 9.0 | 45,327 | |
| Total votes: 503,205 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Barry Farah (R)
Colorado state legislative and state executive recalls in 2019
The table below highlighted each recall effort in Colorado targeting state executive and state legislative members in 2019.
| 2019 Colorado state legislative and state executive recalls | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Office | Party | Status | Signature deadline | Reached the ballot | Recalled |
| Jared Polis | Governor | Democratic | Official; ended | September 6, 2019 |  |
- |
| Pete Lee | Senate District 11 | Democratic | Official; ended | September 10, 2019 | |
- |
| Brittany Pettersen | Senate District 22 | Democratic | Official; ended | September 16, 2019 | |
- |
| Leroy Garcia | Senate District 3 | Democratic | Official; ended | October 18, 2019 | |
- |
| Rochelle Galindo | House District 50 | Democratic | Official; ended | June 3, 2019 | |
- |
| Tom Sullivan | House District 37 | Democratic | Official; ended | July 12, 2019 | |
- |
| Bri Buentello | House District 47 | Democratic | Unofficial; ended | - | |
- |
| Jeff Bridges | Senate District 26 | Democratic | Unofficial; ended | - | |
- |
| Meg Froelich | House District 3 | Democratic | Unofficial; ended | - | |
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Historical governor recalls
From 2003 to 2018, Ballotpedia tracked 54 gubernatorial recall efforts against 14 different governors. During that time, two recalls made the ballot and one governor was successfully recalled. Former California Gov. Gray Davis (D) was recalled by voters in 2003. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) was chosen as Davis' replacement. The only other governor to ever be successfully recalled was former North Dakota Gov. Lynn Frazier (R) in 1921. In 2012, Wisconsin voted to retain former Gov. Scott Walker (R) in the recall election. He received 53.1% of the vote.
See also
- Recall campaigns in Colorado
- Political recall efforts, 2019
- Gubernatorial recalls
- Phil Murphy recall, Governor of New Jersey (2019)
- Kate Brown recall, Governor of Oregon (2019)
- Mike Dunleavy recall, Governor of Alaska (2019)
- Gavin Newsom recall, Governor of California (2019)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Denver Post, "Recall petition for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis approved; signature-gathering could start this week," July 8, 2019
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Recall Petitions," accessed July 8, 2019
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Denver Post, "Attempt to force recall election of Colorado Gov. Jared Polis falls short," September 6, 2019
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Colorado Politics, "First petition to seek recall of Colorado Gov. Jared Polis approved," July 8, 2019
- ↑ US News, "Colorado Governor Signs ‘Red Flag’ Gun Control Bill Into Law," April 12, 2019
- ↑ The Denver Post, "Gov. Jared Polis ushers in new era of drilling regulation, but are “oil and gas wars” over?," April 17, 2019
- ↑ CPR News, "Colorado Joins National Popular Vote Movement With Gov. Jared Polis’ Signature," March 15, 2019
- ↑ The Denver Post, "Hard-fought sex ed bill becomes law in Colorado," May 31, 2019
- ↑ Dismiss Polis, "Welcome Coloradans!," accessed July 8, 2019
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Colorado Secretary of State, "Gov. Jared Polis Recall," accessed July 15, 2019
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Colorado Politics, "Petition drive to recall Colorado Gov. Jared Polis falls short," September 6, 2019
