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Laws governing recall in Louisiana
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A recall election is the process by which citizens may remove elected officials from office before the expiration of their terms. This article summarizes the laws governing recall elections in Louisiana. Louisiana allows for the recall of all elected state and local officials, with the exception of judicial officers.
In 39 states, local officials can be subject to recall elections. Of those, 19 also permit recalls of state-level officials. Eleven states do not permit recalls of elected officials at any level. Click here for more information.
Offices subject to recall
Federal officials
The U.S. Constitution does not provide for the recall of elected federal officials. While some state constitutions have stated that their citizens have the right to recall members of Congress, the Supreme Court has never ruled on whether such recalls are constitutional.[1] Ballotpedia does not provide coverage of federal recalls. Click here for more information.
State officials
Under Louisiana Revised Statutes 18:1300.1, all elected state officials—except judges—can be subject to recall.[2]
Local officials
Louisiana law permits the recall of all local elected officials, except for judges.[2]
Process
Prerequisites
A recall petition cannot be filed against a state or local elected official with less than six months remaining in their term.[3]
Petition
Every recall petition must clearly state the reason or reasons for the recall. The recall committee chairman must file a copy of the signed petition with the Secretary of State’s Office.[3]
Signature requirements
The number of required signatures for a recall is based on the number of qualified electors in the proposed recall member's district. The required signatures are as follows:[3]
- If 100,000 or more eligible voters: 20% of eligible voters in the district
- If 25,000 or more but less than 100,000 eligible voters: 25% of eligible voters in the district
- If over 1,000 eligible voters but less than 25,000: 33.3% of eligible voters in the district
- If fewer than 1,000 eligible voters: 40% of eligible voters in the district
Circulation timeline
The recall petition must be submitted within 180 days of filing with the Secretary of State’s Office. For voting areas with fewer than 1,000 qualified electors, the deadline is 90 days. If the final day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.[3]
Signature verification
The Registrar of Voters must certify the recall petition within 20 working days of submission, or within 30 working days if any parish in the voting area has more than 50,000 registered voters.[3]
Election
If the Registrar of Voters certifies the petition has the required signatures, it is forwarded to the Governor, who must issue an election proclamation within 15 days of receipt.[3]
If the yes/no recall election is successful, the official is removed from office, and the office is declared vacant when the election results are certified to the Secretary of State. The vacancy is filled according to the usual procedure, but the recalled official may not be appointed to the position or be a candidate in the special election to fill the vacancy.[3]
If the recall is unsuccessful, another recall election for the same official cannot be held for 18 months from the date of the failed election.[3]
Legislation involving recall elections
The table below lists bills related to recall elections in Louisiana. The following information is included for each bill:
- State
- Bill number
- Official bill name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Sponsor party
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
See also
What are recalls?
Recall efforts
Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Recalls by state
Recalls by office
Recall laws
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "Recall of Legislators and the Removal of Members of Congress from Office," January 5, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Louisiana State Legislature, "RS 18:1300.1," accessed September 16, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Louisiana Secretary of State, "Recall an Elected Official," accessed February 17, 2023
