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H 872

An Act further regulating the recall of elected officials in the town of Pembroke

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Ken Sweezey

Pembroke H.872 lowers recall petition threshold to 10% of voters, extends the petition window to 30 days, removes turnout requirements, and clarifies recall scheduling.

Hearing scheduled for 05/06/2025 from 01:00 PM-04:00 PM in B-1
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Bill Summary · H 872

Summary: H.872 — An Act further regulating the recall of elected officials in the town of Pembroke

Overview

H.872 seeks to adjust the recall mechanism for Pembroke’s elected officials. Key changes include extending certain timelines, reducing the signature threshold to trigger a recall petition, clarifying the notification and scheduling process for recall elections, and removing a prior turnout requirement. The bill is currently scheduled for a public hearing on May 6, 2025.

  • Introduced: February 27, 2025
  • Status/Actions: Referred to Election Laws on 2025-02-27; hearing scheduled 2025-05-06 (1:00 PM–4:00 PM, Room B-1)
  • Legislative tag: House Docket No. 841; House No. 872
  • Sponsor: Rep. Kenneth P. Sweezey (6th Plymouth)

What the bill does (highlights by section)

  • Section 1: Modifies Section 2 of Chapter 356 of the acts of 1983 by changing a recall petition timeline from “fourteen days” to “thirty days” in the last sentence of the first paragraph. This extends a processing or response timeframe within the petition stage.

  • Section 2: Modifies Section 2 by reducing the signature threshold for recall petitions from “twenty per cent” to “ten per cent” of voters. This makes it easier to initiate a recall petition.

  • Section 3: Recasts the initial procedural step after a petition is found sufficient:

    • The town clerk certifies sufficiency and forwards the petition with the certificate to the Select Board without delay.
    • The Select Board must promptly notify the officer sought to be recalled.
    • If the officer does not resign within five days, the Select Board must order a recall election to be held at the next scheduled town election, provided that the next town election is scheduled more than sixty-four days from the date the officer resigns or refuses to resign.

  • Section 5: Removes the sentence requiring at least forty percent of eligible voters to have voted for a measure to proceed, eliminating a turnout threshold that previously applied to recall actions.

  • Section 6: Effective date: takes effect upon passage.

Who is affected

  • Primary beneficiaries/impacted parties: Residents of Pembroke and Pembroke’s elected officials, particularly the official subject to recall, petition organizers, the Town Clerk, and the Select Board who administer and schedule recall elections.

Procedural and timeline considerations

  • ** petition threshold lowered to 10%**, lowering barriers to initiate recalls.
  • ** Extended processing window** within the petition stage (14 days → 30 days).
  • ** Notification and timing framework:** If no resignation within 5 days after sufficiency certification, recall election is scheduled at the next town election (given a 64-day minimum from resignation date).
  • ** Turnout requirement removed:** No longer a fixed minimum turnout (previously 40%) to validate proceed-to-election considerations.
  • Effective date: Upon passage.

Legislative history and related bills

  • Related bill: H.3983 (2023-2024) referenced as a similar matter.
  • Status note: Senate concurrence recorded on 2025-02-27; current hearing scheduled in May 2025.

Bottom line

H.872 modernizes Pembroke’s recall process by making it easier to trigger a recall (lower signature threshold), clarifying the scheduling and notification steps, extending a petition-related timeline, and removing a turnout-based hurdle. The bill moves through the standard election laws committee process, with a public hearing set for May 6, 2025.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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