Jackson County legislators override recall veto, but election date still unclear
Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr.'s latest attempt to stall recall efforts against himself failed, but ongoing legal questions leave voters unclear on when exactly — and if — a special election will take place.
The Jackson County Legislature voted on Friday to override White's Thursday veto of a July 7 ordinance that approved petition signatures of recall supporters and set an Aug. 26 date for a public vote to oust the county's top official.
Eight Jackson County legislators voted to override White's veto, with one abstaining, surpassing the supermajority of six votes needed.
The date legislators proposed and approved in their ordinance for a special election falls within 60 days of when local election boards certified a sufficient number of recall signatures to trigger such a vote, as in accordance with language in the county's charter.
Since 2023, local organizers, with help from a dark money political action group, collected over 43,000 signatures calling for a vote over White's removal from office.
Public discontent with White — a former Kansas City Royals player and Democrat serving as the county executive since 2016 — stemmed mainly from frustration over increases in Jackson County property tax evaluations in recent years, organizers have said.
In the hours after Friday's meeting, White issued a statement on the 'unlawful' ordinance that he says 'would undermine trust in our elections for years to come.'
'There is still a lawful path forward. I urge the Legislature to do the right thing – adopt a new ordinance to move the election to November and protect the integrity of our democracy,' White said in the statement.
New ordinances raise new considerations
Jackson County legislator Megan Smith (formerly Marshall) was the sole abstainer in the vote to override White's veto. Although she originally voted to schedule the recall vote for Aug. 26, Smith said concerns raised since then complicate her support for the date.
Smith said local election boards are concerned by the short time frame to organize an election and would rather the recall effort be put on the Nov. 4 ballot, in line with the at least 10 weeks notice the boards said they need.
An August election date may disenfranchise voters overseas who will not receive ballots in time or voters who need to vote early or by absentee ballot, Smith said.
She said sticking to the scheduled date is in violation of state and federal election laws and opens the door for more lawsuits or election results being invalidated.
'By continuing down this path of the August 26 election to nowhere, it solves nothing, and it's completely political theatre,' Smith said.
For these reasons, Smith introduced an ordinance to move the recall election to the Nov. 4 ballot.
In response to Smith's comments, Jackson County legislator DaRon McGee said county law requires the election to be within 60 days of when signatures are submitted, and the courts will 'figure out what is the best path forward' through the existing lawsuits regarding the election.
He noted that it was White who caused the delay in preparation for the election, not county legislators.
'If we want to talk about delay, the delay was the additional 10 days where the county executive didn't allow this to go to the election board to do their jobs, where he took 10 days to veto an order that he already knew he was going to veto,' McGee said.
Jackson County legislator Manuel 'Manny' Abarca IV introduced an ordinance that would require 'elected officials who reject or obstruct certified recall petitions' to reimburse 'special election costs if a court determines improper denial of voter certified recall efforts,' taking a jab at White.
No immediate discussion or votes on any newly introduced ordinances occurred at Friday's meeting.
Lawsuits complicate practicality of Aug. 26 date
Legal proceedings both supporting and opposing the proposed Aug. 26 election date hang in the air, raising serious speculation about a likely delay.
The first of two lawsuits was filed on July 9 by former chairs of both the Democratic and Republican parties of Jackson County and two other county residents. The plaintiffs seek an order from the judge requiring the city and county election boards to host the special election on Aug. 26, notwithstanding actions or ordinances from the legislature or White himself.
On July 10, the Kansas City and Jackson County election boards filed suit, arguing that the county charter's requirement of hosting the election within 60 days conflicts with state and federal election laws. Therefore, the parties claim the Aug. 26 date cannot be forced.
Considerations on the cost of the special election have also arisen. Phil Lavota, the former Democratic party chair who brought the first lawsuit, and White agree that the Aug. 26 election will cost Jackson County taxpayers around $2 million.
What they disagree on is whether the election should occur on Aug. 26 in spite of these varying challenges.
Ilana Arougheti and Mike Hendricks contributed reporting.
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