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Lance FitzGerald recall, Ouray County, Colorado (2020)
| Ouray County Sheriff recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| June 30, 2020 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2020 Recalls in Colorado Colorado recall laws Sheriff recalls Recall reports |
A recall election seeking to remove Lance FitzGerald from his position as Ouray County Sheriff in Colorado was approved by voters on June 30, 2020. Justin Perry (unaffiliated) defeated Ted Wolfe (R) in the election to replace FitzGerald. The election was conducted by mail-in ballot.[1][2][3]
The recall effort began in January 2020, following FitzGerald's arrest on DUI allegations on November 27, 2019.[4][5] Recall supporters had 60 days to collect 768 signatures from eligible Ouray County voters.[4][6]
FitzGerald was sworn into office in January 2019. He ran as an unaffiliated candidate and defeated Republican Joel “BB” Burk by 11 votes.[4][7]
Recall vote
The recall election was conducted by mail-in ballot. Voters received ballots by June 11, 2020, and had to return them by 7 p.m. on June 30, 2020.[1]
Yes/no question
Lance FitzGerald recall, 2020
Lance FitzGerald lost the Ouray County Sheriff recall election on June 30, 2020.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✖ | Yes |
92.8
|
2,527 | ||
No |
7.2
|
196 | |||
Total Votes |
2,723 | ||||
|
|
Replacement question
General election
Special general election for Ouray County Sheriff
Justin Perry defeated Ted Wolfe in the special general election for Ouray County Sheriff on June 30, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Justin Perry (Unaffiliated) | 64.2 | 1,725 | |
| Ted Wolfe (R) | 35.8 | 964 | ||
| Total votes: 2,689 | |||
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Recall supporters
The Ouray County Republican and Democratic parties together created a bipartisan recall committee to lead the effort.[5][6]
The recall petition said:[6]
| “ | In light of the recent arrest and continued negative events surrounding Lance Patrick FitzGerald, sheriff of Ouray County, we citizens of Ouray County do not have confidence that Sheriff Lance FitzGerald can uphold the duties and responsibilities of his elected position.[8] | ” |
Recall opponents
FitzGerald did not submit a rebuttal statement for the recall election ballot.[2]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Colorado
Recall supporters submitted the recall petition in January 2020, and it was approved for circulation. Recall supporters had 60 days to collect 768 signatures from eligible Ouray County voters. The total number of signatures is equal to "25 percent of the votes cast for the office of sheriff in the 2018 election," according to the Montrose Daily Press.[4][6] Recall supporters filed 1,082 petition signatures in March 2020.[9] The county verified 914 of the signatures, allowing the recall to move forward. FitzGerald had 15 days to file a protest against the recall petition.[10] Following the protest period, the recall election was scheduled for June 30, 2020.[1]
See also
- Ouray County, Colorado
- Recall campaigns in Colorado
- Political recall efforts, 2020
- County official recalls
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Ouray County, Colorado
- Recall Ouray County Sheriff Lance FitzGerald Facebook page
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Montrose Daily Press, "Ouray sheriff recall election is a go," April 30, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ouray County, "OCS Recall Sample," accessed June 12, 2020
- ↑ Ouray County Plaindealer, "FitzGerald to be removed from office in county's first recall election," June 30, 2020
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Ouray County Plaindealer, "Petition to recall sheriff OK'd," January 29, 2020
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Montrose Daily Press, "Recall launched against Ouray sheriff," January 17, 2020
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Montrose Daily Press, "Move to recall Ouray sheriff gathers steam," February 1, 2020
- ↑ The Watch, "Ouray County Sheriff race still undetermined," November 8, 2018
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Montrose Daily Press, "Ouray clerk receives sheriff recall petitions," March 25, 2020
- ↑ Montrose Daily Press, "Ouray County sheriff recall proceeds," April 9, 2020
