John Snaza recall, Thurston County, Washington (2020)
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An effort to recall John Snaza from his position as sheriff of Thurston County, Washington, did not go to a vote in 2020. The recall petition was initially approved for circulation on July 29, 2020, by Superior Court Judge Jeanette Dalton.[1] Snaza filed an appeal against the recall with the Washington Supreme Court.[2] The Washington Supreme Court unanimously ruled on February 11, 2021, that the petition was legally and factually insufficient, ending the recall effort.[3]
The effort started after the sheriff's office released a statement on June 24, 2020, saying "it would be inappropriate for deputies to criminally enforce" the state's mandate to wear a mask in public places. Recall supporters said the sheriff's statement was impeding public health efforts. Snaza said it was his intent to educate people about the law rather than arrest them.[1][4]
To read about other recall efforts related to the coronavirus and government responses to the pandemic, click here.
Recall supporters
The recall petition was filed by Arthur West. He said that Snaza's "refusal to perform the duties of his office impedes State, City, emergency management, and hospital officials in their efforts to protect the public during a worldwide pandemic." West said that due to the politicization of masks, Snaza's actions "must be viewed as a political effort to undermine the rule of law and our national and statewide efforts" to combat coronavirus.[1]
West also said that the sheriff "in effect exercised improper veto power over the enforcement provision of a State Order in a manner that has and will encourage citizens to disregard it." West said that law enforcement officers had discretion over individual cases but that a general statement saying the office would not enforce a law was an act of policy rather than discretion.[1]
Recall opponents
In reaction to the recall, Snaza said his intent was not to ignore the law but to educate people rather than arrest them. He said criticism of the statement may have resulted from how it was phrased.[1] "I used the wrong wording and I’m sorry for that," Snaza said.[5]
"I’ve been in law enforcement for over 28 years, and for someone to say or mention that I don’t enforce the laws breaks my heart," Snaza said.[1]
Representing Snaza at the hearing on the recall petition, Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Rick Peters said there was no evidence that the sheriff had "exercised his discretion in a way that indicated he wouldn’t actually enforce the mask mandate," according to The Olympian. Peters also said that it was not practical for the sheriff's office to enforce the statewide mandate due to needing to keep the jail population down.[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Washington
The recall petition was filed with the Thurston County Auditor's Office on July 2, 2020. It was approved for circulation on July 29, 2020, by Superior Court Judge Jeanette Dalton.[1] Snaza filed an appeal against the recall with the Washington Supreme Court.[2] The Washington Supreme Court ruled against the petition on February 11, 2021, ending the recall effort.[3]
If Snaza's appeal had been rejected, recall supporters would have had 180 days to collect 23,027 signatures in order to get the recall on the ballot.[1]
Ballotpedia covered 35 coronavirus-related recall efforts against 94 officials in 2022, accounting for 13% of recalls that year. This is a decrease from both 2020 and 2021. COVID-related recalls accounted for 37% of all recall efforts in both 2020 and 2021. In 2020, there were 87 COVID-related recalls against 89 officials, and in 2021, there were 131 against 214 officials.
The chart below compares coronavirus-related recalls to recalls for all other reasons in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Related recalls
- Adam Fortney recall, Snohomish County, Washington (2020)
- Jerry Hatcher recall, Benton County, Washington (2020)
See also
- Thurston County, Washington
- Recall campaigns in Washington
- Political recall efforts, 2020
- County official recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 The Olympian, "Judge OKs effort to recall Thurston County Sheriff over refusal to enforce mask order," July 29, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Cathleen Bright, Executive Assistant, Thurston County Auditor," September 22, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Daily Chronicle, "Washington Supreme Court Rejects Petition to Recall Thurston County Sheriff John Snaza," February 11, 2021
- ↑ Facebook, "Thurston County-Sheriff post June 24, 2020," accessed August 3, 2020
- ↑ King 5, "Recall effort underway for Thurston County sheriff over not enforcing face mask mandate," July 30, 2020
