NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— The fate of the NOLATOYA.org recall campaign is still in limbo pending the outcome of a lawsuit and a signature count, but what would it take to reach a recall election?
The next 20 days are crucial. By state law, the Orleans Parish Registrar of Voters has twenty days to verify all the recall signatures. Within the next five days, voters can still stop by the Registrar’s Office to sign the petition, but voters who already signed it can also choose to have their signatures removed.
“We have done our job, so now it is time for the Registrar of Voters to do their job,” Eileen Carter with NOLATOYA.org said.
“I think the organizers were so sophisticated, so well funded that they have been vetting these petitions as they went along,” Jeff Crouere, Political Analyst said.
Crouere says he doesn’t think many signatures will be tossed out after the Registrar of Voters counts. What’s really in question is how many signatures they’ve got and how many they need.
A court hearing next week could help decide how many inactive voters would be taken off the rolls. This could mean the recall would need around six thousand fewer signatures.
“We need to know what that number is so we can have that cushion, this is only step one,” Carter said.
With many more steps to go, if they get the 20 percent of necessary voters, then it will go before Governor John Bel Edwards to call for an election.
“Are we going to have an April election or special election date or Governor’s election in October,” Crouere said.
“We’re asking that the Governor gives us an early special election, we do not want to wait until Fall,” Carter said.
But what are the chances of Mayor Cantrell challenging the recall?
“So if the Mayor had any more money, she might be organizing an effort to invalidate petitions, but the Mayor only has $6,700 in her account, so that’s another disadvantage she’s got,” Crouere said.
“Now we have a voice and we’re using it and it is time to move forward,” Carter said.
All of this could take months to a year. Mayor Cantrell’s term is up in 2026.
