State of Alaska > Division of Election > Initiative Process > Recalls

Citizens for Ethical Government Recall Petition Not Certified
September 7, 2005

(Juneau) – Division of Elections Director Laura Glaiser today announced her decision to not certify an application for a petition to recall State Senator Ben Stevens.

The recall committee prime sponsors are Michael Busey, Richard Sutton and William Fulton.

The basis for denial of an application for recall is set out in AS 15.45.550, which provides four reasons to deny:
1) the application is not substantially in the required form;
2) the application was filed during the first 120 days of the term of office of the official subject to recall or within less than 180 days of the termination of the term of office of any official subject to recall;
3) the person named in the application is not subject to recall; or
4) there is an insufficient number of qualified subscribers.

The Division qualified 1,352 signers of the petition. Senator Stevens by virtue of being a member of the state legislature may be subject to recall; and the application was filed within the appropriate time of his term.

“The question of whether the application is in the required form, which includes the requirement that the grounds for recall be described in not more than 200 words is the key to my decision,” Glaiser said.

“I have reviewed both the legal review done by private counsel in the Ogan recall and the legal review by the Department of Law in this case,” Glaiser continued. “I agree with the Department that even when the allegations unrelated to Senator Stevens are removed from the group’s stated grounds for recall, the grounds submitted in this case were not ’sufficiently particular,’ and therefore I have not certified the petition.”

To view the Department of Law opinion on this petition click here. To view the director's statement click here. To view frequently asked questions and more background on recalls, click here.