Recall election scheduled for clerk of the Superior Court of Graham County in Arizona


Cindy Woodman, clerk of the Superior Court of Graham County in Arizona, will be on the ballot in a recall election on May 19, 2020. The recall effort against Woodman started in September 2019. Recall organizers cited high turnover, lack of institutional knowledge, and a court ruling that found Woodman was derelict in her duties as reasons for the circulation of petitions.

Woodman declined to comment on the recall effort, but Graham County Republican Party chairman John Duane Rhodes spoke in support of her. Rhodes said Woodman inherited a hostile work environment from her predecessor. He said he believed Woodman had done a good job despite the lack of training provided to her from the county.

To get the recall on the ballot, recall organizers had to collect signatures from at least 2,697 registered voters. They submitted 3,147 signatures on November 18, 2019, and enough signatures were deemed valid for the Graham County Board of Supervisors to schedule a recall election. The deadline for candidates to submit nomination papers to run against Woodman in this election is March 23.

On October 11, 2019, Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Brutinel signed an order that placed the Graham County Clerk of the Court’s Office under the direct supervision of Judge Michael Peterson. Woodman was prohibited from conducting clerk’s duties but continued to receive her full salary.

In 2019, Ballotpedia covered a total of 151 recall efforts against 230 elected officials. Of the 66 officials whose recalls made it to the ballot, 34 were recalled for a rate of 52%. That was lower than the 63% rate and 57% rate for 2018 and 2017 recalls, respectively.

Click here to learn more about Cindy Woodman’s recall election

Additional reading:
Graham County, Arizona
Recall campaigns in Arizona
Political recall efforts, 2020 
County official recalls