Recall elections are being held in the Reef-Sunset Unified School District in California and the Onaway Area Community School District in Michigan on November 5, 2024. The names of three board members are on the ballot in Reef-Sunset Unified, and one is on the ballot in Onaway.
Two of the three Reef-Sunset Unified board members being recalled—Area 1 representative Claudia Cazares and Area 3 representative Lissette Padilla—resigned from their positions earlier in 2024 but are still on the ballot. They remained on the ballot because the recall petitions were submitted in March 2024 before those resignations occurred. Area 2 representative Lilia Rizo is also on the recall ballot. Voters will be asked if they want to recall the board members and be able to cast yes or no votes.
The recall petitions against Cazares, Rizo, and Padilla said they had been negligent and ineffective in their roles as board members. In response, the board members listed awards, new funding, and new programs the school district had received while they served on the board.
In Onaway, board member John Palmer is on the ballot along with opponent Lain Veihl. Voters will cast their ballots for one of the two candidates, and the candidate with the most votes will win the seat. The recall effort started in November 2023 and initially included three other members. The efforts against Erin Chaskey, Lorrie Kowalski, and James Rieger did not make the ballot. The petitions listed the board members’ behavior as the reason for the recall. Ahead of the recall election, Palmer said, “I want to remain on this school board so that I may represent the voice of this district and keep our school going in a positive direction.”
So far in 2024, Ballotpedia has tracked 36 school board recall efforts against 77 board members. Eight school board members were removed from office in recall elections earlier in the year, and seven members defeated their recalls to remain in office.
Ballotpedia had tracked a total of 212 recall efforts against 331 officials across all office types as of October 24, 2024. At that time, 57 of the officials targeted for recall had been removed from office in a recall election, a success rate of 17%.
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