Houston recall is ballot bound

HOUSTON — A petition to recall Houston Mayor Roger Purcell has been verified by the city clerk and a special election to decide the matter will likely be scheduled for June.

The recall petition was turned in last week with 143 signatures. After verification, City Clerk Steve Cunningham said 131 names were approved, well above the minimum 73 required to move forward to a vote.

The city council will now be presented with the petition. The council was expected to hold a special meeting Monday night to discuss a different matter. In an interview prior to the meeting, Cunningham said items cannot be added to the agenda of a special meeting.

Another special meeting can be called by either the mayor or three council members to take up the petition, Cunningham said. Or, the council can be presented with the petition at its next regularly scheduled meeting on April 8.

As one of the few states with elections still subject to a process called preclearance, the city has to get approval from the U.S. Department of Justice to go forward with a special election. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed to make sure everyone had an equal opportunity to vote in every election. Anytime there is a variation or special election, the DOJ must approve the change, Cunningham said.

This process usually takes 90 days, he said. But, because the special election has to be held within 45 to 75 days after the petition is presented to the council, Cunningham said DOJ can expedite the process and have a ruling after 60 days.

If the council is presented with the recall petition on April 8, Cunningham said DOJ should receive the request for a special election on April 9 or April 12. Given the 60-day time frame, the city should have approval for the election on June 10 or June 14. If the election is held on June 15 or June 22, the city will still be within the 75-day limit, Cunningham said.

The city can hold the election before getting preclearance, Cunningham said, but the results would be nullified if the DOJ returned a negative ruling.

Cunningham said there shouldn’t be any problem getting approval if the city follows the same voting methods it does for regular elections. As such, ballots can be requested by mail 60 days prior to the election. In-person absentee voting will be held at both the Mat-Su Borough clerk’s office in Palmer and the Division of Election office in Wasilla two weeks prior to the election. The regular polling place in Houston City Hall will be open on Election Day, he said.

Cunningham predicted the cost of the special election — including printing the ballots, renting machines and training election officials — will cost about $16,000. In a regular election, much of that cost is shared by the three cities in the Mat-Su as well as the borough. In this special election, Houston is responsible for 100 percent of the expense. Furthermore, much of the preparatory work for the election has to be done before the ruling is returned from the DOJ.

However, if the city gets the go-ahead from DOJ, voters can decide Purcell’s job status by a simple majority. The ballot will include both the claim Purcell misused emergency flashing lights on a trip to Fairbanks as well as Purcell’s response to the allegation.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.