Proposed law would let Chicagoans recall Mayor Johnson in special election

Mailee Smith

Senior Director of Labor Policy and Staff Attorney

Mailee Smith
January 14, 2025

Proposed law would let Chicagoans recall Mayor Johnson in special election

House Bill 1084 would provide relief to the 70% of voters disapproving of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson by creating a process to recall the mayor.

Voters in Chicago currently have no way to oust a failing mayor between elections, even when most Chicagoans think a mayor is failing.

There are 70% of voters who disapprove of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, according to a November 2024 poll by Change Research. They are stuck under current law with a failing mayor until the next election.

But that could change with a bill introduced in the Illinois General Assembly this session. House Bill 1084, filed by state Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, creates a process for recalling a mayor in Chicago.

Here’s how the process would work:

  1. An affidavit must be filed with the board of election commissioners by the person proposing the recall along with at least two aldermen. The affidavit must not be filed within the first six months of a mayor’s term.
  2. A petition for recall must be circulated and signed by a number of voters equal to at least 15% of the total votes cast for mayor in the previous Chicago mayoral election. There must be at least 50 signatures from each ward.
  3. The petition must be turned in not more than 150 days after the affidavit is filed.
  4. The board of election commissioners must certify the petition not more than 100 days after it is filed, if it has been correctly executed.
  5. The question “Shall [name] be recalled from the office of Mayor?” shall be submitted to the voters in a special election within 100 days of the board’s certification of the petition.
  6. The mayor is immediately removed from office if a simple majority votes for his recall. The vice mayor shall serve until another special election is held.

The bill also provides a process for the special election of a new mayor. The recall and election process outlined in HB 1084 applies only to the city of Chicago.

Ford said he has filed a version of the bill every year since 2015, but “for some reason, now there’s political will for recall.” It’s no wonder, with just 15% of voters having a favorable opinion of the mayor and 70% having an unfavorable opinion, according to the November Change Research poll.

With numbers like that, it shouldn’t be hard to recall Johnson. If the bill is fine tuned to allow for an immediate effective date and is enacted, relief for Chicagoans struggling under a flailing Johnson administration may soon be on the way.

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