Recall elections against Alisha Ames and Judy Saunders, members of the Maine School Administrative District 46 school board, are being held on June 10, 2025. On the ballot, voters will be asked if they are in favor of recalling each board member, and they will have the option to vote yes or no.
A group called Stop the Power Trip started the recall effort, and the MSAD #46 Education Association announced its support of the recall.
The recall affidavit against Ames said she has a conflict of interest due to co-owning and operating a homeschooling co-op. Stop the Power Trip said that the homeschooling co-op competes with the school district. The affidavit also said Ames’ position on the board “is detrimental to the school district and community of Dexter.”
The recall affidavit against Saunders said her membership on the board violates the school district’s nepotism policy because her daughter works for the district. The nepotism policy states that the school district cannot employ “any person who is a member of the immediate family of a board member or of the Superintendent.”
Stop the Power Trip includes two former candidates for the board and one former member. All three ran for election in 2024 and were unsuccessful.
In reaction to the recall effort against her, Ames said, “I want what is best for the children of Dexter, and for public schools to be open and transparent and welcoming to every child, and to provide the best possible education to our kids.”
Saunders said that when she was elected to the board, her daughter was already working for the district. She said her daughter was protected by a contract. Saunders said she was told in December 2024 that her daughter would be fired if she took her position on the board. “I viewed this as an attempt to coerce me into giving up my civil rights,” Saunders said.
To get the recalls on the ballot, recall supporters had to submit 296 petition signatures per board member. Recall supporters submitted 363 signatures against Ames and 350 signatures against Saunders.
Ballotpedia had tracked 14 school board recall efforts against 29 board members as of June 2, 2025. Four of those board members, including Ames and Saunders, face recall elections that have not yet been held. One board member was removed from office in a recall election in April, two board members resigned, and the efforts against 12 board members did not go to a vote. The efforts against 10 board members remain underway.
Ballotpedia had tracked 144 recall efforts against 202 officials across all office types as of June 2, 2025. At that time, 17 of the officials targeted for recall had been removed from office in a recall election, a success rate of 8%.
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