Loudoun County School Board recall efforts head to courts – Ballotpedia News



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Welcome to Monday September 13th, Brew. Here’s what to expect at the start of your day:

  1. Hearing on Loudoun County School Board’s recall efforts is scheduled for September 13
  2. Tomorrow’s California recall elections
  3. Florida Realtors Suspends Initiative Campaign Following Compromise With State Lawmakers

Hearing on Loudoun County School Board’s recall efforts is scheduled for September 13

Ballotpedia has tracked 64 school board recall efforts compared to 165 board members so far in 2021, the highest number of school board recall efforts we’ve ever tracked in a year. The next highest year was 2010 with 38 recall efforts against 91 school board members.

One of those recall efforts this year is based in Loudoun County, Virginia. Here is an update.

On August 25, opponents of Beth Barts submitted petition signatures to recall her from the Loudoun County School Board. The justification hearing on these petitions will take place on September 13 (today).

In Virginia, recall efforts are determined by the circuit court rather than the ballot box. Virginia, which is the only state to use this judicial process, also requires that certain criteria be met before a recall can proceed, including dereliction of duty, abuse of office, incompetence or neglect. conviction for drug offenses or hate crimes. Supporters of the recall must collect signatures equal in number to 10% of the votes cast in the last election for this post. The recall effort against Barts required 1,176 signatures. Supporters of the recall said they had collected 1,860.

Barts’ attorney filed a motion to dismiss the petition against her as it was not signed by a lawyer. He also asked the circuit court judges to withdraw from the case as it involved local office holders.

Barts was first elected to a four-year term on the board on November 5, 2019. She received 54.8% of the vote and beat another candidate. Although the school board elections are non-partisan, Barts is supported by the Loudoun County Democratic Committee.

Supporters of the recall are also circulating petitions against six other members of the nine-member school board. They said the involvement of board members in a private Facebook group, where they discussed public matters in a private setting, was a violation of Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act and the school board’s code of conduct. . Recall supporters also alleged that the district was using critical race theory in its employee training and student curriculum, which they objected to.

Acting Superintendent Scott Ziegler said the district uses a culturally appropriate framework that “speaks to providing a welcoming and supportive environment and developing cultural skills through culturally appropriate teaching, deeper learning, practices equitable class and socio-emotional needs to focus on the whole child. Ziegler said the district had not used critical race theory in staff training or the student program.

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Tomorrow’s California recall elections

California voters will go to the polls on September 14 for the recall election to impeach California Gov. Gavin Newsom (R).

The recall election will ask voters two questions. The first will ask if Newsom should be recalled from the governorship. The second will ask who should succeed Newsom if he is recalled. A majority vote is required on the first question for the governor to be removed. If Newsom is recalled, the candidate with the most votes on the second question would win the election – no majority required.

Polling stations across the state will be open for in-person voting or ballots from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. These polling stations also allow voter registration on the same day.

All registered voters in the state have already received a postal ballot in August. These mail-in ballots must be postmarked before September 14 to be counted. California voters can click here to find their polling station.

Forty-six candidates, including nine Democrats and 24 Republicans, are standing for election. Since 1911, there have been 55 attempts to recall a California governor. The only successful recall campaign was in 2003, when voters recalled the government of the day. Gray Davis (D). Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) was elected to replace Davis.

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Florida Realtors Suspends Initiative Campaign Following Compromise With State Lawmakers

On September 7, 2021, Floridians for Housing, a voting initiative committee sponsored by Florida Realtors, announced that it was suspending its initiative voting campaign. The initiative reportedly established state and local government housing trust funds for “access to and availability of affordable housing, including funding for new construction, down payment and down payment programs.” assistance with closing costs, rehabilitation and financing of affordable housing development ”.

As of September 8, the group had submitted 65,018 valid signatures. To qualify for the ballot, sponsors would have had to submit 891,589 valid signatures by February 1, 2022.

Florida Realtors President Cheryl Lambert said, “The legislative branch is committed to working with us to find significant and immediate solutions to the Florida workforce housing crisis. This crisis cannot wait. Every day, we hear about workers who are taking the brunt of the pandemic and who cannot afford a house. This approach will help put homeownership within the reach of Floridians much faster. “ Florida Realtors had contributed at least $ 13 million to the polling initiative committee.

Ballotpedia is tracking 24 potential initiatives targeting the 2022 poll in Florida. As of September 8, seven of the initiative campaigns had not received any valid signatures. For the remaining 17 campaigns, the number of valid signatures recorded ranged from two to 9,347. That figure came from Florida Voters in Charge, the sponsor of an initiative to expand casino gaming in Florida.

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