Petition Calling For Austin Council Member's Recall Is Rejected

AUSTIN, TX -- It’s back to the drawing board for those seeking the recall of Austin City Council member Ann Kitchen. The city clerk has rejected their petition -- all 5,300-plus signatures included -- because it wasn't signed by a notary public.

Members of a political action committee called Austin4All recently initiated the petition, gathering in excess of the 4,900 signatures required from Kitchen’s District 5 to formally launch a recall effort.
But, seemingly in their haste to oust Kitchen, they forgot one crucial detail: Each page has to be signed in the presence of a notary public.

None of the petition’s 989 signatures were signed in compliance with that rule, reports KVUE-TV.
What all of this means is that canvassers would have to painstakingly start all over again if they’re still intent on ousting Kitchen -- one signature at a time to reach the 5,000-odd John Hancocks required to launch a recall effort.
In launching the recall initiative, members of the PAC objected to Kitchen’s calls to require drivers of ride-sharing firms Uber and Lyft to submit to fingerprinting as part of the companies’ background checks procedures.

Despite existing city ordinances requiring all companies that transport people -- including pedicab firms -- to subject employees to fingerprinting, officials at both companies vehemently opposed the move.
Lyft has even threatened to leave Austin altogether if they’re made to comply with the rule.
Supporters of the ride-sharing firms have painted Kitchen’s insistence on fingerprinting -- a stance shared by other colleagues on the council dais -- as anti-business and potentially job-killing.