How to Recall a U.S. Senator

Senators have to find a balance between voting their conscience and voting as their constituents would like. If senators vote their conscience too heavily, constituents tend to get angry. When this happens, constituents may ask for a recall of their U.S. Senator.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Consider your location. Few states allow for a recall of a senator—only 18 and the District of Columbia. If you're not living in one of these states you have no constitutional rights to recall.

2. Determine the grounds for recall. You'll need this information to make your case to the population but in 7 of the 18 states specific grounds are actually required. In these states, if your reasons don't measure up, you won't be allowed to proceed with the recall.

3. Get signatures. You'll need a petition to get a recall election. The number of signatures is usually a percentage of the voters at the last election but this differs by state.

4. Prepare for a response. At some point during the process, the senator will be notified that a petition for recall is being circulated. She will then have a chance to respond to the allegations.

5. Get voters to the recall election. Once the recall election is granted, alert the community and get them out to vote. The ballot will ask whether or not the senator should be recalled and the state may hold an election at the same time to elect the next person for that office.

Tips & Warnings

• The 18 states allowing for recall are as follows: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.
• A website or a phone campaign are good ways to get your petition going. Going door-to-door is also an option although it is more time consuming than the other two. This is important since you only have a set number of days to obtain the correct number of signatures—anywhere from 30 to 180 days.
• You will be fighting an uphill battle to recall a U.S. Senator. No member of Congress has ever been recalled in the history of the United States.

[mtrifle]

on 10/23/2009 I live in Montana and I would very much like to recall Senator Max Baccus. I believe that his and every other senator's votes on the health care bill violate the constitution, but I know that to recall him would be very difficult. That said, how embarrasing would it be if a recall petition was even started. I don't care what the attorney general likes or doesn't like. He is a Democrat, so I would expect him to say that we can't recall Baccus. If the petition were started and started to get wings, he would have no choice but to back the wishes of the citizens of the state. If we start it here, people in other states may start similar petitions. At the very least, the senators have to respond to these petitions and this will at the very least weaken them politicly. Just the fact that there was a recall petition will hurt their political career. They will have to back away from obama an...

[cobeej]

on 9/23/2009 Feinstein should be recalled, for the good of California!

[cobeej]

on 9/23/2009 Senator Diane Feinstein today voted AGAINST an amendment which would have released the EPA restraint on central valley farmers from receiving water for their crops. Their crops, orchards, their fields are burning up, and there are over 40,000 unemployed agrarian workers now unemployed, and those workers and the farmers themselves are now standing in line for food. Feinstein is participating in a deliberate attempt by our government to destroy the farm production of this great state, and to eventually starve citizens throughout the United States. This state produces 60}+%of major food products not only for the United States but worldwide, there are crops which are only produced here. Beyond this reprehensible vote today, Feinstein supports Cap and Trade, The Bailouts, the all inclusive and freedom grabbing health bill, the elimination of the Second Amendment, World Government. Sh...

[cybernetic59]

on 6/30/2009 The 18 states allow for recall of state reps and sen. The constitution currently does not allow for the people to recall US reps or sens. Each House call expell amoung other thing to their own members.

I started thining last week or so that we need to be able to do this and went to my first Tea Party last night here in Ashatabula County OH and it was not mentioned. I did mention it to a few people but nothing has been dicussed yet. I do plan on setting up a web site to see if we can't get recall done. I did find out in doing some research that an amendment was proposed in the 103rd Congress (1993-1994) but the source of that info didn't state any action taken on it.

[mgb8484]

on 4/23/2009 I contacted the Attorney General of Montana and they stated that there were no provisions to recall a US Senator. I cannot find any information and the Montana Constitution is vague enough to protect them. We have to do something NOW. The Tea Parties were a start. I have started a CNN boycott in my area, it takes time informing people, but I have found a certain amount of resistance to change due to complacency. Any suggestions?