Republican senator files bill to create uniform recall process in Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Recalls are pretty rare in Tennessee.
The last one that even came close to a vote was in Chattanooga in 2012, and, even then, a judge ultimately prevented a vote from happening.
“Recalls should be very, very rare,” Sen. Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun) said. “When recalls happen for elected officials, it should be where there really is broad consensus that someone has been improper and needs to step away from office, and that individual has not voluntarily done such.”
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But now, Lowe filed a new bill set to create a uniform recall process throughout the state for non-constitutional public officials.
It does not include people like the governor, secretary of state, the attorney general or any county leadership. Instead, it would deal with city leadership or school boards.
“I don’t know why we would exclude mayors or legislators from the same accountability that you’re putting on everybody else,” Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville).
Lowe said it was inspired back in his district.
“Back home, I’ve got a city councilperson right now that’s lost a professional license, has been banned from local institutions and is facing some legal issues around inappropriate behavior,” he said. “That would be a good opportunity for a recall, should they choose not to resign.”
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When pressed for names, Lowe wouldn’t divulge. Regardless, under the bill, the threshold is pretty high.
If it passes, you’ll have to get 20% of registered voters to sign off, which may not seem like a large number. But take Nashville for example, you’d have to garner well over 130,000 signatures to trigger a vote.
Still, it has Democrats leery because of the rise in polarization over school boards in the past three years. “We have seen a level of shenanigans and foolishness that isn’t helping any kid anywhere,” Yarbro said.
The Nashville Democrat didn’t explicitly say he was against the bill, but he’s treading cautiously.
“I’m not necessarily opposed to having recalls,” Yarbro said. “But I don’t think that we should be creating new pathways for mischief.”
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When asked if he was expecting blowback on the bill, Lowe laughed and said, “A bunch, especially from those it would impact the most.”
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