A group filed signatures with the Cottonwood City Clerk’s Office late Monday, Oct. 23, on a petition to recall Cottonwood Mayor Tim Elinski, according to Cottonwood City Manager Scotty Douglass.
The group reportedly turned in approximately 830 signatures, Douglass said. The minimum required is 641, which is determined by 25% of all votes cast at the last election for all candidates for the office held by that elected official. The 2020 election, in which Elinski ran unopposed, had 2,562 total votes of which Elinski earned 2,437 or 95.12%, versus 125 write-in votes. Of 2,562 votes, 25% is 640.5, meaning a minimum of 641 signatures were required.
The recall process is governed by Arizona Revised Statute §19-202(A).
After the petitioners filed in June, they had 120 days to collect signatures, with the deadline of 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 23.
The Cottonwood City Clerk has 10 days the for the filing officer to complete a signature review and send the petitions to the Yavapai County Recorder’s Office. This will most likely be done by the first week of November, but could be sooner.
After the Yavapai County Recorder’s Office receives petitions that have completed the city clerk’s signature review, the county recorder has 60 days to take the completed signatures from the initial review to complete signature verification. This involves verifying that all the signatures are for registered voters in Cottonwood’s jurisdiction.
Petition signers who are not registered to vote, not registered in Cottonwood jurisdiction or otherwise deemed ineligible are not counted in the finally tally.
Note that residents of Verde Sante Fe, Bridgeport, the Verde Villages and incorporated Yavapai County parcels are not in Cottonwood city limits and thus not eligible to sign a petition in Cottonwood even if they have “Cottonwood” postal address, which is determined by the U.S. Postal Service to ease mail delivery, not to determine legal voting eligibility.
These residents’ ineligible signatures will be removed from the final tally by the county recorder.
Numerous petitions were circulated at public events or through online social media pages by residents from outside Cottonwood city limits or at events in the area but outside the city so it’s unclear how many petition gatherers may or may not have been informed if were legally eligible to sign a petition.
Once the Cottonwood City Clerk’s Office receives the completed signature verification list from the Yavapai County Recorder’s Office, the clerk will determine if the final tally of verified signatures are less than the 641 threshold and the petition is rejected or, if over 641, that the petition was successful. This will likely be in mid-January, though it could be sooner.
The clerk then has five days to notify the filer either way and two days to notify the mayor.
If the recall signature process is successful, the mayor then has five days after receiving notice of a recall election to decide whether to resign or campaign in a recall election.
If the recalled mayor resigns, the position will be filled according to state law.
If mayor does not resign and choses to campaign in a recall, the clerk 15 days to announce the date of the recall election, which will occur on the first consolidated election date that is at least 90 days in the future.
While it’s unlikely this whole process to be compete by Dec. 13, 2023, to meet the first consolidated election date of Tuesday, March 12, 2024, the soonest a recall election would likely be held is on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
The regular primary election for Cottonwood City Council and Cottonwood mayor is Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.
If there is a recall election, Elinski will face any candidates who choose to run to replace him. If he is defeated, the county has six to 20 days to conduct an election canvass, after which Elinski would be removed from office, sometime between late May and early June, with the recall winner taking his seat and possibly facing another vote in the Aug. 6 primary election, and a potential runoff vote on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
If Elinski wins the recall challenge, he remains in office until after the general election on Nov. 5, when the new Cottonwood City Council is sworn in. Elinski has reportedly said he already does not plan to run for third time as mayor and may leave office in November, unless he chooses to run.
