Recall

a method of getting rid of obnoxious officials before the term of office expires. The usual machinery to be set in motion is a formal mandate signed by a majority of the legal voters, suspending the official in question from office. If an appointive office his removal is final. If an elective office, the deposed official may appeal to the voters at an immediate election. In some cases a smaller proportion of the voters, as thirty or twenty-five or ten per cent, is authorized to recall. The recall is in force in the cities of the Pacific Coast. An objectionable alderman was recalled in Los Angeles in 1905. The mayor of San Francisco was removed in 1908. In 1909 Boston adopted a charter providing for the election of a mayor to serve four years and authorizing his recall at the end of two years. The recall has been adopted very generally by the states and municipalities that have the initiative and referendum. It is an effective weapon for deterring officials from defying the will of the people. Even the most corrupt and subservient officeholder is reluctant to arouse a storm that may sweep him from office. See Initiative And Referendum