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Rachel Ruelas recall, Mabton, Washington (2024-2025)
| Rachel Ruelas recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in Washington Washington recall laws Mayoral recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Mayor Rachel Ruelas did not go to a vote in Mabton, Washington, after recall organizers did not submit petition signatures by the deadline.[1]
Recall supporters
On June 25, 2024, the Mabton City Council voted 4-1 in favor of calling on Ruelas to resign as mayor. The recall petition, which was filed the day after the city council vote, stated that Ruelas violated state laws by not providing a notice of hearing to the public on a final budget and by not providing the final budget to the city council. The petition also cited Ruelas' personnel hiring as grounds for a recall.[2]
Recall opponents
Ruelas responded to the city council vote, saying she would not resign from her position.[3]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Washington
Washington allows the following grounds for recall: malfeasance or misfeasance while in office or violating the oath of office.[4] Before a recall petition can collect signatures, the grounds for recall must be considered by a superior court judge. If the judge rules that the grounds for recall meet the state requirements, the petition will be approved for circulation. To get the recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures equal to 25% or 35% of the votes cast for the office at the last election, depending on the office type.[5] Signatures must be collected within 180 days.[6]
The recall petition was initially rejected by Yakima County Auditor Charles Ross, who said the paperwork filed by organizers was incomplete.[7] On August 27, 2024, Superior Court Judge Richard Bartheld ruled that two of the four charges laid out in the petition were sufficient grounds for a recall, allowing organizers to begin gathering signatures.[8] On March 27, 2025, the Washington Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Ruelas did not meet court-imposed deadlines for appealing the recall.[9]
Petition signatures were submitted on May 12, 2025. The following day, the Yakima County Auditor's Office deemed the petition insufficient, citing that the submission deadline had passed on May 5, 2025.[1]
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
- Mabton, Washington
- Recall campaigns in Washington
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- Political recall efforts, 2024
- Mayoral recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 KIMA, "Ruelas recall no longer moving forward due to signatures being submitted too late," May 13, 2025
- ↑ Apple Valley News, "Mabton mayor recall process explained, how its linked to fake robbery scheme," June 28, 2024
- ↑ KIMA, "Mabton in turmoil: Mayor faces backlash and calls to resign," June 26, 2024
- ↑ Constitution of the State of Washington, "Article I, Section 33," accessed October 16, 2023
- ↑ Washington Constitution, "Article I, Section 34," accessed October 17, 2023
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "Revised Code of Washington: 29A.56.150," accessed October 17, 2023
- ↑ KIMA, "Mabton residents' initial attempt to start recall process on Mayor Ruelas fails," June 27, 2024
- ↑ Yakima Herald-Republic, "Second petition to recall Mabton mayor allowed to move forward," August 27, 2024
- ↑ Yakima Herald-Republic, "Recall of Mabton mayor moves forward after she fails to meet court deadlines," March 27, 2025
