Efforts to recall Cochise County Superintendent Tom Crosby failed as petitioners failed to obtain the required number of signatures by the deadline. We spent months trying to collect enough signatures to do so, and needed 565 more to meet our signature requirement of 4,865.
“In recent weeks, support for the recall has increased dramatically, with more and more people signing it, ultimately reaching nearly 4,300 valid signatures. We’re running out of time,” the campaign said in a news release.
The recall effort, which began in January, was led by the Committee to Recall Tom Crosby, a bipartisan group given 120 days to collect the required number of signatures from Crosby District 1 voters. The final day was Wednesday, May 3rd.
According to state law, a public employee holding an elected office may be subject to a recall by the electors of the constituency in which a candidate is elected for that office.
The campaign and its supporters have slammed Crosby, a former U.S. Border Patrol agent and Sierra Vista City Council member, by refusing to certify the results of the November general election by him and county superintendent Peggy Judd. , broke the oath of office when he risked disenfranchising voters in Cochise County.
Recall faced a number of challenges, the group said in a release. That includes restrictions on where signs can be placed and petitions can be supported.
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the committee withstood the challenge
Some petitioners were harassed by community members and one local official.
The campaign found that some people were hesitant to participate and others simply did not understand the problem. They also found electors who believed the votes of Cochise County residents should not be counted, the campaign said in a news release.
Despite not getting enough signatures, the committee said it was proud of the recall’s efforts and the diversity of the coalition, which included Democratic, independent, and Republican cooperation. Many of these initiatives have increased awareness and education about what county oversight boards are and their role.
Recall’s support was also found to be nonpartisan, with 60% of the signatures collected coming from non-Democrats.
According to the group, people across the country supported the recall and sought information about a possible recall of Judd, another Cochise County superintendent who refused to certify the election until a court order.
The group also noted how much education and awareness was fostered from Recall.
“The team of over 60 volunteers working on this has done an amazing job and we are proud of what we have achieved together,” said Commission Chair Eric Sukhodorski. I was. “This is not the end. It just continues in a different way and it will take a little longer. The community has something to build on.”
What caused the recall work?
This year’s recall efforts began after Crosby and Judd voted to hand-count 100% of the county’s votes in the November general election. The act was deemed illegal and was stopped by Pima County Judge Casey McGinley.
After the election, the two supervisors refused to certify the election results and received a court order from the judge to do so. The vote to certify the election results was passed by a 2-0 vote, with Judd and supervisor Ann English voting for accreditation. Crosby did not attend the court-ordered meeting to prove the results.
