Recall Election Information
A recall election is a process whereby the qualified electors of a school district may force a seated governing board member to stand for election prior to completing the full length of his/her term in office.
Pima County School District Recall Elections
The process requires that a number of qualified electors residing within the school district demand his/her recall. Every public officer holding an elective office, either by election or appointment is subject to recall from such office by the qualified electors of the district from which candidates are elected to that office.
The process requires that a number of qualified electors residing within the school district demand the governing board member's recall. Recall Signature requirements are based on 25% of the number of votes cast at the last preceding General Election for all the candidates for the office held by the officer, even if the officer was not elected at that election, divided by the number of offices that were being filled at the election (A.R.S. § 19-201). If the officer to be recalled was appointed to the office or was deemed elected after an election was cancelled due to the absence of opposing candidates as provided in section 15-424, the recall petition must be signed by the number of qualified electors that is equal to at least ten per cent of the number of active registered voters in the district represented as determined on the date of the last General Election (A.R.S. §19-201(C)).
A public officer must have held office for 6 months before a recall petition can be filed against him/her. The 6-month wait only applies to the first term of office if the governing board member is elected to more than one term (A.R.S. § 19-202).
Political Committee: Recall committees are able to begin gathering petition signatures without first forming a political committee. A political committee Statement of Organization must be filed with either the Pima County Elections Department once a candidate’s committee has reached a combined total of $1,200* in contributions and expenses. (*See A.R.S. § 16-905 for current limits as they may change.)
Please contact the Pima County School Superintendent's Office to obtain a recall packet before circulating any recall petitions.
To download a summary of the recall election process - CLICK HERE
Forms and Resources
PCSS Recall Process and Timeline
CLICK HERE to request the number of petition signatures required to initiate a recall
Sample Recall Petition
Nomination Petition to be a Candidate for a Recall Election – Contact Us
Additional information on Initiative, Referendum and Recall, please visit the Arizona Secretary of State's Office.
Recalls for the Current Year