Activists Submit Petition To Force Recall Election Of Jack Evans

GEORGETOWN, DC — Organizers behind an effort to remove D.C. Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) from office claim they have collected enough signatures to force him into a recall election.

The Committee to Hold Jack Evans Accountable on Monday said it has submitted a petition with more than 5,700 signatures from registered voters in Ward 2 to the D.C. Board of Elections. The committee was required to collect about 5,000 signatures — or support from 10 percent of Ward 2 voters — to trigger the city's first-ever recall vote for a council member.

"While Councilmember Jack Evans has been asked to resign by most of his colleagues on the DC Council, it will be his constituents who have the final say," Recall Campaign Chairman Adam Eidinger said. "I offered to suspend this campaign on multiple occasions, but Mr. Evans has refused to either resign or indicate that he would not seek reelection, so for the last (six) months we have spoken to thousands of voters who overwhelmingly support restoring integrity and these signatures are proof."

The Ward 2 Democrat, the longest serving lawmaker in D.C., is accused of using his standing as a public official to benefit friends and business stakeholders, raising ethics questions.

Earlier this year, the District's Board of Ethics And Government Accountability and WMATA investigated Evans over these allegations and found that he violated multiple ethics rules by using his influence to get business for his private consulting work.

The committee's petition is the first step in triggering a possible recall vote. The D.C. Board of Elections has 30 days to certify the petition.

If election officials certify the petition, the city will conduct a special election for the voters of Ward 2 that asks them whether they are for or against the recall of Evans. If voters support a recall, another election will be held to determine who will represent Ward 2 for the remainder of Evans' term (which ends in January 2021).

Ward 2 includes parts of downtown D.C., Georgetown, Dupont Circle, and Logan Circle.

SEE ALSO:

• FBI Raids Home Of Embattled DC Councilmember Jack Evans: Report
• Jack Evans Dodges Ethics Probe Questions At Meeting He Requested
• DC Councilman Jack Evans Slapped With $20K Fine In Ethics Probe