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Committee introduces bill to align recall rules with new city district requirements
Summary
Lawmakers approved introduction of RS32582 to adjust recall petition thresholds for city council members after some Idaho cities exceeded 100,000 population and adopted district-based council elections.
The House State Affairs Committee voted to introduce RS32582, a proposal to align city council recall procedures with changes enacted by 2020’s House Bill 413, which now requires cities with populations over 100,000 to elect council members by district.
Steve Tanner, representing District 13, told the committee the statute to recall city council members had not been updated to reflect the requirement that council members be elected by district in qualifying cities. Tanner said the proposed change to Idaho Code 30-4-1702 would require that recall petitions for council members be based on electors who were registered to vote in the district from which the council member was elected, rather than the entire city.
Why it matters: Tanner said the change is necessary to avoid an inequity where a recall would otherwise require signatures from a citywide share of electors even though the council member represents a district. He identified Boise, Meridian and Nampa as the three Idaho cities currently affected, and said the change was requested by county clerks in Ada and Canyon counties.
Committee action: Representative Mickelson moved to introduce RS32582; the committee approved the motion by voice vote and the measure was introduced without recorded opposition.
What’s next: RS32582 was introduced and will proceed through the legislative process; county clerks and local officials asked only that the change be narrowly limited to the recall threshold adjustment.
