Legislation Being Discussed To Make Recall Effort In Louisiana Easier

An effort to change the process in which an elected official is recalled in Louisiana is gaining steam due to Jefferson Parish President Mike Yenni's sexting scandal. A petition to recall Yenni is making the rounds, but Covington Representative Paul Hollis says gathering all of the required signatures has proven to be difficult in the past.

"Which in Louisiana is one-third of eligible voters," said Hollis.

In Louisiana petitioners have to collect thirty-three and a third percent of the total number of registered voters in order to be successful.

Hollis says the turnout in the Jefferson Parish President race last year was 90,000, despite the fact that there are 270,000 people who can vote.

"So you need almost the precises number of people who voted for all candidates to sign a petition," said Hollis.

Hollis says many other states' base signature requirements on the percentage of people who voted. He says if you look over all the recalls in the past 50 years, there have been successful recalls, but they've been in very small areas.

"The expense, the man power and the effort in larger districts makes it so that it's impossible, in my opinion," said Hollis.