Steve Descano recall, Fairfax County, Virginia (2021-2023)
| Fairfax Commonwealth's Attorney recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2023 Recalls in Virginia Virginia recall laws County official recalls Recall reports |
Two efforts to recall Steve Descano (D) from his position as the Fairfax Commonwealth's Attorney in Fairfax County, Virginia were initiated.[1] The position of the Fairfax Commonwealth's Attorney "is charged primarily with the prosecution of crimes that occur in Fairfax County and felonies that occur in Fairfax City and the Towns of Herndon and Vienna," according to the office's website.[2]
The first recall effort was started by the group Stand Up Virginia in April 2021.[3] It was supported by the Fairfax County Republican Committee.[4]
The second recall effort was started by the group Virginians for Safe Communities in August 2021. That group also started recall efforts against the commonwealth's attorneys in Arlington County and Loudoun County.[1]
Descano was elected to his position in the general election on November 5, 2019. He defeated one other candidate with 61% of the vote.[5]
Recall supporters
First effort
The first recall effort was organized by the group Stand Up Virginia.[3] This recall effort was supported by the Fairfax County Republican Committee.[4]
Members of Stand Up Virginia said Descano was not being tough enough on offenders.[3] “After failed attempts for almost a year imploring our local legislators to rein in his power through budget reductions, we now know that victims and their parents are being dismissed, silenced, and denigrated by Mr. Descano,” Brenda Tillit, president of Stand Up Virginia, said. “We are placing his removal in the hands of our citizens by launching a recall petition to ensure everyone is aware of the egregious nature of his actions.”[6]
Second effort
The second recall effort was organized by the group Virginians for Safe Communities, a 501(c)(4) organization. “We are launching this campaign to hold accountable the prosecutors who have taken office under a writ of reform but have gone too far,” said Sean Kennedy, a board member of the group. “They are continuing to flout the rule of law, failing to enforce the law and are endangering our families and communities.”[1]
Kennedy said that Descano had failed crime victims when he did not pursue some misdemeanor cases. He also said the turnover in the Fairfax Commonwealth's Attorney's office was too high.[1]
Recall opponents
Response to first effort
Descano called the recall a far-right, partisan effort to stop his criminal justice reforms. “When I took office I promised our community I would hold police accountable and reform our criminal justice system,” Descano said. “While this work is far from done, we have made considerable progress — and transformative change often elicits fringe backlash.”[3]
Response to second effort
Descano said he rejected the criticisms brought by Virginians for Safe Communities. He said he was working to build a more just legal system. In response to the criticism that he had not pursued misdemeanor cases, Descano said his office had been underfunded. He said prosecutions for misdemeanors had resumed when they received more funding.[1]
“It’s no surprise that far-right ideologues seek to obstruct the reforms my team is implementing by engaging in a Trump-style effort to undermine the will of Fairfax County voters,” Descano said.[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Virginia
To move the recall efforts forward, recall supporters would have needed to collect signatures equal to 10% of the votes cast in the 2019 election in which Descano was elected, which is approximately 29,000 signatures. If enough signatures had been collected, the recall would have been sent to the circuit court. If a judge had ruled in favor of the recall, Descano would have been removed from office, and a special election would have be held to elect his replacement.[1][3] Virginia law allows for the recall of elected officials for "misuse of office, neglect of duty and incompetence in performance," according to Inside NOVA.[6]
Related recalls
- Buta Biberaj recall, Loudoun County, Virginia (2021)
- Parisa Dehghani-Tafti recall, Arlington County, Virginia (2021)
See also
- Fairfax County, Virginia
- Recall campaigns in Virginia
- Political recall efforts, 2021
- Political recall efforts, 2022
- Political recall efforts, 2023
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 The Washington Post, "Group launches effort to recall liberal prosecutors in Northern Virginia," August 2, 2021
- ↑ Office of the Fairfax Commonwealth's Attorney," About Us," accessed June 25, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 The Washington Post, "Group begins recall campaign against Fairfax County prosecutor," April 14, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fairfax County Republican Committee, "Recall Steve Descano Petition Signing," accessed June 25, 2021
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2019 November General Official Results," accessed June 25, 2021
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Inside NOVA, "Group demands recall of Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney, claims he failed to prosecute certain crimes," April 16, 2021
