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HB 2635

SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER RECALL

104th Regular Session Introduced by Marty McLaughlin

Allows voters to recall school board members elected at consolidated elections using a defined petition process, ballot, and plurality replacement.

Referred to Rules Committee
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Bill Summary · HB 2635

Summary — HB 2635: School Board Member Recall Act

Status: Introduced February 11, 2025; referred to Rules Committee (per bill header).
Primary introducer in the bill text: Rep. Martin McLaughlin (Illinois). Additional sponsors/cosponsors are listed in the provided materials.

Purpose

Establishes a statutory procedure (the "School Board Member Recall Act") allowing voters to recall school board members who were elected at a consolidated election. The Act sets signature thresholds, petition filing and circulation windows, ballot language, candidate certification rules for replacement candidates, and other election procedures specific to school board recalls.

Key provisions

  • Scope: Applies only to school board members elected during a consolidated election; it overrides contrary provisions as needed.
  • Who may initiate: A petitioner (must reside in the jurisdiction represented by the targeted board member) files an intent to recall with the local election authority before circulating petitions.
  • Signature threshold for a valid recall petition: either (a) signatures equal to 25% of the votes cast in that jurisdiction in the most recent gubernatorial election, or (b) 10,000 signatures — whichever is less.
  • Timing:
    • Intent to recall may be filed any time after the targeted member has served more than one year.
    • Petition circulation is permitted only after the intent to recall is filed and only during the window 120 to 180 days before a consolidated election.
    • Petitions may be filed with the election authority during that 120–180 day window.
  • Ballot and election mechanics:
    • All recall elections are conducted during consolidated elections.
    • Ballot includes the recall question (Yes/No) and a subsequent question listing replacement candidates.
    • Replacement candidates must be certified under the same procedures as regular consolidated-election candidates. Their petition circulation and filing period runs from the filing of the intent to recall up to 90 days before the election.
    • No primary or runoff: the replacement candidate with the highest vote total (plurality) fills the vacancy.
    • If multiple members are being recalled, each recall is a separate ballot question; candidates for each office are listed beneath the relevant question.
  • Petitions must be clearly marked "RECALL PETITION" and must state the reason for the recall. Challenges to petitions follow existing Election Code procedures.

Who is affected

  • Targeted school board members (those elected at consolidated elections).
  • Voters within the affected school district or jurisdiction.
  • Petition organizers and circulators (must meet residency/filing requirements).
  • Replacement candidates who wish to run in the recall election.
  • Local election authorities administering consolidated elections.

Procedural/timing notes & potential impacts

  • The Act concentrates recall activity into a defined pre-election window tied to consolidated elections, limiting off-cycle recall ballots.
  • The signature threshold (25% of recent gubernatorial votes or 10,000, whichever is less) scales with jurisdiction size; it may be relatively high for small jurisdictions or comparatively achievable in larger ones depending on turnout.
  • By eliminating primaries/runoffs and using plurality winners, the Act expedites replacement but may allow a candidate to win with a small share of votes if many replacement candidates appear.
  • The requirement that petitions include a reason and that circulation is time-limited may increase administrative clarity but may also constrain grassroots recall organizing.

If you want, I can produce a one-page visual flowchart of the recall timeline and filing windows.

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

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