We reached out to the Instagram page sharing the site, but didn’t get a response. The site also does not list who is responsible for starting the petition. However, text on the site reads: “Join the recall of the Mayor of Dallas, where we’re dedicated to restoring trust in local government by holding our mayor accountable for his party switch. We believe in transparency, accountability, and consistent representation, and we’re actively seeking volunteers to join our cause. Together, we can demand the accountability the city deserves.”
The site also lays out the recall process.
According to the city charter, any member of the Dallas City Council may be recalled and removed from office by qualified voters. But there is a procedure that must be followed.
First, a petition demanding the recall of the City Council member must be filed with the city secretary. It must be signed by at least 15% of voters who were qualified to vote in the last election. That's a tall order given the perennial lack of interest in city elections.
The petition must contain a general statement about the grounds for removal. On the day the petition is first circulated, the city secretary must be given notice in writing by five registered voters in the council district the member represents. From there, the signatures must be gathered within 60 days.
Then the petition must be sent to the city secretary to be certified within 30 days. If the petition is certified, it will be submitted to the City Council, which will then call for a recall election. The recall election should take place on the next available election date no less than 60 days after the certification of the petition. If the next available date is the general election, the recall election will be held then, even if it’s within 60 days of the petition’s certification.“Join the recall of the mayor of Dallas, where we’re dedicated to restoring trust in local government by holding our mayor accountable for his party switch." – recallmayorericjohnson.com
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The election will be held as if the council position is vacant. The member voters are seeking to recall will automatically be placed on the ballot unless they resign or decide not to run. All other candidates must comply with regular requirements for a general election in the city. Whoever is elected must take the oath of office within 10 days after the canvassing of the election or the seat will be vacant.
There have been efforts to recall Dallas mayors in the past. According to the Houston Chronicle, a group of 60 Black ministers called the Clergy for Recall, attempted to recall former mayor Laura Miller three years in a row. In 2003 and 2004, the group failed to obtain the required signatures. But in 2005, the group claimed it got more than enough signatures to recall Miller. In the end however, the group withdrew its effort, saying it did so out of a sense of Christian values.
The mayor did not respond to a request for comment. However, he said in the op-ed for The Wall Street Journal when he announced his party switch that he’ll be voting as a Republican next spring and that when he leaves office, he will do so as a Republican.
“Mayors and other local elected officials have failed to make public safety a priority or to exercise fiscal restraint,” Johnson wrote in the op-ed. “Most of these local leaders are proud Democrats who view cities as laboratories for liberalism rather than as havens for opportunity and free enterprise.”
Some groups, such as the Democratic Mayors Association, spoke out against Johnson’s party switch. “It is a shame that Mayor Johnson has forgotten the true impact Democrats have had on our country over the past few years, especially in his city,” the group said in a statement last week. We asked if the group would support recalling Johnson. They didn’t say yes, but they didn’t say no either.
The group said in an emailed statement: “The Democratic Mayors Association remains disappointed by Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson’s decision to switch his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican. This decision is a disservice to the people of Dallas, who reelected him under the Democratic party’s values just four months ago, and they are right to feel betrayed by his actions. Ultimately, the final decision lies in Dallas residents’ hands to take any steps they feel necessary, given Mayor Johnson’s announcement last week.”
