William Landgraf recall, DeForest, Wisconsin (2025)
| William Landgraf recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| September 16, 2025 (primary) October 14, 2025 (general, canceled) |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in Wisconsin Wisconsin recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
A primary election to recall Trustee William Landgraf, also known as Bill, from his position on the DeForest Village Board was scheduled for September 16, 2025. Alicia Williams won outright in the primary election. A general recall election would have been held on October 14, 2025, if no candidate received the majority of the votes cast in the primary.[1][2][3][4]
Recall vote
Nonpartisan primary election
Special nonpartisan primary for DeForest Village Trustee
Alicia Williams won election outright against incumbent William Landgraf and Stacey Petersen in the special primary for DeForest Village Trustee on September 16, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Alicia Williams (Nonpartisan) | 78.4 | 1,884 | |
| William Landgraf (Nonpartisan) | 10.8 | 260 | ||
| Stacey Petersen (Nonpartisan) | 10.6 | 256 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 4 | ||
| Total votes: 2,404 | |||
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Recall supporters
According to the recall petition, the reasons for the recall effort included Landgraf's vote in favor of removing fluoride from DeForest's water and "unethical behavior that creates distrust and miscommunication between residents and village government."[5]
Marc Storch organized the recall effort.[1]
Recall opponents
Landgraf did not respond to requests for comment from the Wisconsin State Journal.[5]
When asked what he believed led to the recall by The Star, Landgraf said, "One would be my vote to remove fluoride, a toxic compound from our water. After the vote was taken, the call for a referendum was made which people thought could be on the Spring ballot. State law wouldn’t allow this and a special election costing $10K would be needed to be called. Instead, outside DeForest interests, including Progressive Dane organized a recall effort. I was told to resign instead of serving out my term rather than letting the DeForest voters decide at the next election. My voting record on matters to the majority of residents is what I’m proud of."[6]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Wisconsin
No specific grounds are required for recall in Wisconsin. To get the recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures equal to 25% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election in the relevant jurisdiction. Signatures must be collected within 60 days.[7]
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
- DeForest, Wisconsin
- Recall campaigns in Wisconsin
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- City council recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Madison365, "Petition filed to recall anti-fluoride DeForest village board member," May 20, 2025
- ↑ DeForest, Wisconsin, "Village of DeForest, Wisconsin Information For Candidates for Village Offices 2025 Special Recall Election," accessed August 8, 2025
- ↑ DeForest, Wisconsin, "Special Recall Election Primary of a DeForest Village Trustee will be held on Tues., Sept. 16, 2025," accessed August 25, 2025
- ↑ WKOW, "Williams defeats Landgraf in DeForest special election," September 16, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Wisconsin State Journal, "DeForest residents petition to recall village trustee who allegedly stalked, harassed foes," May 23, 2025
- ↑ The Star, "DeForest recall election candidates weigh in," September 5, 2025
- ↑ Wisconsin Statutes, "9.10 Recall." accessed October 17, 2023
