Fri December 2, 2011 Why Recall Elections Are So Difficult To
Pull Off When the word "recall" makes headlines, it usually
involves the removal of a defective product from store shelves,
or perhaps the testimony of some nervous executive at a
congressional hearing saying, "I don't recall...." But 2011 has
been the year of another kind of recall: the recall election.
Angry at elected officials' handling of the economy, budget cuts
and other issues, voters across America are taking the "Throw
the bums out" approach to new heights. Their favorite targets so
far have been state lawmakers. This year set a record for recall
elections, as 11 lawmakers from various states were forced to
defend their seats — four of them lost. Previously, only 21
state legislators in U.S. history had ever faced recalls, with
13 of the attempts successful. Recall attempts are far more
commonplace in local jurisdictions, but they're difficult to
pull off at any level of government. States set prohibitively
high standards for removing law