Steve Grasty recall, Harney County, Oregon (2016)
| Harney County Court Judge recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| June 28, 2016 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2016 Recalls in Oregon Oregon recall laws Special district recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Steve Grasty from his position as judge of the Harney County Court in Harney County, Ore., began in 2016.[1] The Harney County Court is an administrative, not a judicial, body comprised of two county commissioners and a county judge.[2] Grasty's term expired at the end of 2016.[3]
The recall was initiated in the aftermath of the 41-day occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, during which Grasty had said that Ammon Bundy and his supporters should leave the county and prevented them from using a county fairgrounds building. Kim Rollins, who launched the recall, partly blamed the chaos, resulting in the death of Robert LaVoy Finicum and the convictions of Dwight and Steven Hammond, on Grasty.[1][4] He said Grasty had limited the conversation about the occupation and the role of the federal and state government. "This dialogue, a peaceful dialogue, might have gone on and what happened (Tuesday) night with death and injury might not have happened," he said.[5]
Recall vote
The recall election was held on June 28, 2016.[6] Voters overwhelmingly chose to retain Grasty.[7]
| Recall Election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Recall | 861 | 29.7% | ||
 Retain | 2,038 | 70.3% | ||
Recall supporters
The following is an excerpt from the recall petition, which blamed Grasty for suppressing the rights of the citizens:[8]
| “ | These privileges and rights include: the privilege of citizens’ use of public buildings for peaceful assembly, the right of the people (sic) peaceably to assemble, & the unabridged right of freedom of speech.[9] | ” |
Recall opponents
Grasty announced that he would not resign from his position.[10]
| “ | In the past 48 hours, I have had a tremendous outpouring of support. These people with their petition are entitled to their say. There are many people who support me who are waiting for their chance.[9] | ” |
| —Steve Grasty[10] | ||
A group of 100 county residents held a rally in support of Grasty in June 2016. Jeannette Vinson, who helped organize the rally, said the recall effort further divided the county. "It was mellow for a while. It just stirred everything up again."[11]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Oregon
Recall supporters needed 444 valid signatures to get the recall on the ballot. Petitioners reported collecting 566, and the petition was turned in on May 12, 2016. Officials verified 458 of the signatures and the petition was approved on May 19. Grasty had until 5:00 pm on May 24 to either resign or write a "statement of justification" that would be placed on the ballot. Since he did not resign, an election was scheduled for June 28, 2016.[1][12]
See also
External links
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Steve Grasty Oregon recall. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Oregonian, "Recall petition filed against Harney County Judge Steve Grasty," May 12, 2016
- ↑ Harney County, Oregon, "Harney County Court," accessed May 13, 2016
- ↑ Oregon Live, "Harney County recall election another test of Ammon Bundy's impact," June 13, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Ammon Bundy, other protesters arrested in Oregon; LaVoy Finicum killed," January 27, 2016
- ↑ OPB, "Protester In Burns: 'It Was The Saddest Day Of My Life'," January 27, 2016
- ↑ Oregon Live, "Recall election to be held against Harney County Judge Steve Grasty: 'I ask that you stand with me'," May 24, 2016
- ↑ KATU 2, "Harney County Judge Steve Grasty prevails in recall linked to refuge takeover," June 28, 2016
- ↑ OPB, "Voters To Decide Recall Against Harney County Judge Grasty In June," May 24, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Portland Patch, "Harney County Judge: "I Will Not Resign"," May 13, 2016
- ↑ OPB.org, "Supporters Of Harney County Judge Grasty Rally Against Recall," June 10, 2016
- ↑ Oregon Live, "Recall petition against Harney County Judge Steve Grasty validated," May 19, 2016
