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Shane Smiley recall, Ouachita Parish, Lousiana (2025)
| Shane Smiley recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in Louisiana Louisiana recall laws County official recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Ouachita Parish Police Jury President Shane Smiley is underway in Louisiana. Recall organizers must collect 11,270 get the recall on the ballot.[1]
Recall supporters
Recall organizers filed the petition against Smiley after a video of him speaking with an employee at his restaurant was posted on social media. Melanie Hurd, one of the recall organizers, said the following regarding the video of Smiley: "As a mother and a grandmother, an educator in the Monroe City area for over 40 years I would hate for one of my children to ever be spoken to in that manner."[1]
Recall opponents
Smiley said the following at a Ouachita Parish Police Jury meeting: "Many of you in the community have shown me grace not because my actions were acceptable but because you answer to a higher calling of forgiveness and belief in a possible restoration. The comments I made two weeks ago were deeply hurtful. What I said was wrong and I take full responsibility for my words and my actions…my actions cast a shadow on the trust and integrity this jury has worked so hard to build and uphold."[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Louisiana
No specific grounds are required for recall in Louisiana. The recall process starts by filing a copy of the recall petition with the Louisiana Secretary of State. The number of signatures required on the petition depends on the size of the jurisdiction, with the smallest jurisdictions (fewer than 1,000 eligible voters) requiring signatures equal to 40% of eligible voters in the jurisdiction and the largest jurisdictions (100,000 or more eligible voters) requiring signatures equal to 20% of eligible voters in the jurisdiction.[2] Recall supporters have 180 days to circulate petitions.[3]
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
- Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
- Recall campaigns in Louisiana
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- County official recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 myarklamiss.com, "Ouachita Parish Police Jury President Shane Smiley facing recall effort; community divided," September 3, 2025
- ↑ Louisiana State Legislature, "House Bill 54," accessed February 5, 2019
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Recall an Elected Official," accessed February 17, 2023
