The clock is ticking on the petition to recall Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas.
Diane Douglas: To recall or not to recall
Let our Public Insight Network know your opinion.
It’s a lengthy process and tricky to successfully complete. The Coalition to Recall Diane Douglas has 120 days to collect 366,000 valid signatures. Signatures are disqualified if the address of the petitioner is missing, if there is no date of signing provided or if the signature or address is illegible, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
Randy Parraz, who co-founded the group Citizens for a Better Arizona, was one of the few to successfully recall a government official. His group forced a recall election that ousted then-Senate President Russell Pearce in 2011. Parraz offered advice to the Recall Douglas campaign.
“If you’re really interested in education, you recall the president [of the Senate] and the speaker of the House,” Parraz said. “They’re the ones who by the Constitution are supposed to make it happen. They’re over there probably laughing. They’re a diversion, that they’re going after a straw person who can’t do much and isn’t even legally obligated to deliver on this.”
But Max Goshert, who is organizing the Douglas recall, said his campaign is valid.
“We want to recall Diane Douglas because she doesn’t have a concern for students,” Goshert said. “She doesn’t have a plan for education and she lacks the honesty and integrity and transparency.”
He added that he’s gained 250 volunteers since he filed his paperwork with the Secretary of State’s Office.