Review finds recall bids fall short on signatures
Woodhouse, Cannizzaro to remain state senators
The attempted ouster of two Democratic state senators failed to qualify after a court-ordered full review of the signatures submitted.
The Republican-backed recalls targeting state Sens. Joyce Woodhouse and Nicole Cannizzaro each failed to meet the signature threshold needed to push the senators into a special elections, according to a lawsuit challenging the recall efforts.
The Nevada Senate Democratic Caucus issued a statement Monday blasting the Gop-backed efforts as “an incredible waste of time, taxpayer money, and public resources.”
“We will continue to stand up for voters and for fair, democratic elections. We are grateful that this sad chapter of our state’s political history has come to an end,” the statement said.
Last month, Judge Jerry Wiese ordered a full review of the signatures submitted in both recalls to validate each one and make sure those who signed the petitions were eligible to do so. The court also ordered a review of petitions submitted by people who wanted their names removed from the recall effort.
The Woodhouse recall needed 14,412 signatures, but the review found that 14,216 were valid. There were also 1,388 valid submission removal forms, meaning the recall fell roughly 1,600 signatures short, according to the memo attached to the court filing. For Cannizzaro, the recall effort fell roughly 500 signatures short without the withdrawal forms accounted for, and 1,900 short with those forms included.
The full review came after recall supporters, represented in court by Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison, argued that it was unconstitutional to submit signature withdrawal forms after the petition was sent to election officials. Weise’s ruling upheld the constitutionality of Nevada’s law and ordered election officials in Clark County and the Nevada secretary of state’s office to verify every signature on both recalls, as well as all pre- and post-submission withdrawal forms.
The recall group had hinted at an appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court over Wiese’s ruling. But the full review shows that both recall bids fell short of the number needed to force a special election, even without accounting for the post-submission withdrawal forms. So it’s unclear what effect, if any, such an appeal would have on the final outcome.
Attorneys for the recall supporters did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.
Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal. com or 702-383-4638. Follow @ Coltonlochhead on Twitter.