Kevin Vodak recall, Baraboo School District, Wisconsin (2024)
| Baraboo School District recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2024 Recalls in Wisconsin Wisconsin recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Kevin Vodak from his position on the Baraboo School District Board of Education in Wisconsin did not go to a vote in 2024. Recall supporters did not submit enough signatures to put the recall on the ballot.[1]
The recall effort began in May 2024. To get the recall on the ballot, supporters would have had to collect approximately 2,500 signatures by July 14, 2024.[2]
Vodak has served on the seven-member board for 23 years. He was re-elected to a three-year term in April 2022. At the time the recall effort started, he was serving as president of the board.[2][3]
Recall supporters
Baraboo resident Lana Campbell started the recall effort. She listed "alleged misuse of taxpayer dollars, conflicts of interest regarding the administration, and high staff turnover" as the reasons for recall on the recall petition, according to WiscNews. "We’re working together with the common goal of wanting better for our students, our teachers, our community, and the future of our public schools," Campbell said.[2]
Recall opponents
Vodak said he respected and appreciated the recall process. He also said the soonest a recall election could happen would be August or September 2024, which was close to the 2025 spring election when he would be up for regular election. "You’re not gaining a lot by having a recall," Vodak said. "I think there is a blurred line between the recall and criticisms of the district and the board."[2]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Wisconsin
No specific grounds are required for recall in Wisconsin. To get the recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures equal to 25% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election in the relevant jurisdiction. Signatures must be collected within 60 days.[4]
To get the recall against Vodak on the ballot, supporters would have had to collect approximately 2,500 signatures by July 14, 2024.[2]
2024 recall efforts
- See also: School board recalls
Ballotpedia tracked 40 school board recall efforts against 83 board members in 2024. Recall elections in 2024 removed 14 members from office, including three who resigned before the election, and retained seven members in office. The school board recall success rate was 13.4%.
The chart below details the status of 2024 recall efforts by individual school board member.
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Baraboo School District, Wisconsin
- Baraboo School District, Wisconsin, elections
- Recall campaigns in Wisconsin
- Political recall efforts, 2024
- School board recalls
- States that allow school board recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Ellen Weiland, Executive Administrative Assistant to the District Administrator and School Board, Baraboo School District" July 23, 2024
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 WiscNews, "Baraboo residents looking to recall School Board president," June 1, 2024
- ↑ School District of Baraboo, "Board of Education," accessed June 11, 2024
- ↑ Wisconsin Statutes, "9.10 Recall." accessed October 17, 2023
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