Question: What is a Recall?
Answer: A Recall is the process for which citizens of the District of Columbia can remove an elected official from office.
Question: How does a Recall work?
Answer: A Recall is a multistep process that starts with a Recall Statement that outlines why the elected official should be removed from office, this statement, once approved by the Board of Elections, is then placed on a special circulating petition. Then registered voters have 180 days to sign the circulating petition, and if 10% of the registered voters sign the petition, there will be a Special Election that asks voters if they want to keep the elected official in office or remove them from office. If the majority of voters choose to remove the elected official from office, they will be Recalled.
Question: How many signatures are needed to Recall a Ward-level Councilmember?
Answer: The petitioners need to collect signatures of 10% of the registered voters in the Ward.
Question: How many registered voters are there in Ward 2?
Answer: Based on the DC Board of Elections February 28 tally, Ward 2 currently has 51,590 registered voters. Therefore, the Recall campaign needs to collect 5,159 signatures from Ward 2 voters.
Question: Where can I find the rules around the District of Columbia’s Recall process?
Answer: The DC Municipal Regulations concerning the recall of elected officials can be found Title 3, Chapter 11.
Question: Where is Ward 2 in Washington, DC?
Answer: The map below shows the boundaries of Ward 2. Click on it to see a larger version:
Question: Can I sign online?
Answer: Unfortunately, the DC Board of Elections does not permit DC voters to sign petitions online.
Question: Can you bring me a petition to sign?
Answer: YES! If you would like to sign the recall petition, we can bring a petition to you. Please fill out our Volunteer Form with your name & phone number and in the “Anything else you’d like us to know?” box, please tell us the best time for us to bring a petition to you. A member of the campaign will reach out to coordinate the best time.
Question: If the recall campaign turns in a sufficient number of signatures of Ward 2 voters to the Board of Elections, when will the Special Election take place?
Answer: The District of Columbia’s election law requires that the Board of Elections hold a Special Election within 114 days after the recall petition is certified. For example, if the petition is submitted on November 18, 2019, and certified by December 1, 2019, then the Special Election will be held before the end of April 2020. However, the sooner the recall campaign submits the required number of signatures, the sooner the Special Election will take place.
Question: Is the Committee to Hold Jack Evans Accountable (aka Ward 2 Citizens Recall) the same as Sack Jack?
Answer: NO! While our goals may be similar, we are two completely different political entities. Sack Jack is a Political Action Committee that was formed by DC residents who wish to pressure Councilmember Jack Evans to resign. The Committee to Hold Jack Evans Accountable (aka Ward 2 Citizens Recall) is a recall campaign committee that has the sole purpose of collecting signatures from registered Ward 2 voters to force a Special Election that will give voters the opportunity to kick Councilmember Jack Evans off the DC Council. As a recall campaign committee we are bound by a different set of laws, including campaign contribution limits. We urge you to support BOTH efforts!
Question: Since the Home Rule Act was passed by Congress, which created the 13-member DC Council, how many DC Councilmembers have been recalled?
Answer: Zero! Help make history with us by signing the recall petition to create a Special Election that will remove Councilmember Jack Evans.