Charles Allen and Brianne Nadeau recall, Washington, D.C. (2024)

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Charles Allen and Brianne Nadeau recall
Officeholders
Charles Allen Brianne Nadeau
Recall status
Did not go to a vote
Signature requirement
10% of registered voters
See also
Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2024 Recalls in District of Columbia District of Columbia recall laws City council recalls Recall reports

An effort in Washington, D.C., to recall Ward 1 City Councilwoman Brianne Nadeau did not go to a vote after organizers did not submit signatures by the deadline to do so.

An effort to recall Ward 6 City Councilman Charles Allen did not collect sufficient signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Recall supporters

Allen recall effort

The statement of grounds for recall for Allen read:

“

The top priority for any elected official is to keep the public safe. On this score, Charles Allen has failed miserably and should be recalled. As Councilman, Charles Allen spearheaded legislation to free violent offenders from jail long before their sentences were up (1), while using his position as Chairman of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee to slash the police department budget (2). Those cuts coupled with dangerous police restrictions (3), resulted in a loss of 450 officers from the force. Charles Allen’s legacy is more criminals on the street and fewer police officers on the beat. Washington, DC ended 2023 as one of the most violent cities in the U.S., experiencing an escalation in murders, shootings, carjackings, rapes, robberies, and retail crimes unmatched since the 1990s. It must stop. 1. Allen authored the 2023 Rewrite of the DC Criminal Code. Expanded Youth Rehabilitation Act for early prison release, including violent crimes like carjackings and gun crimes. Expanded the Second Look Act to promote sentence reduction mandates for violent offenders under the age of 25. 2. Championed the $15 million police budget cut in 2020. 3. Authored and passed the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2020.

”

Jennifer Squires served as the chairperson of the Committee to Recall Charles Allen.

Nadeau recall effort

The Committee to Recall Brianne Nadeau's website stated:

“

The historic rise in crime in Washington DC is a threat to the livelihoods of the decent people who call it home. Seemingly every day, we read about (or see/hear) a shooting, a carjacking, a home invasion, a robbery, often not far from our homes and families. In the face of this evolving and worsening crime crisis, the District of Columbia’s City Council has not only failed to act, but they have made the problem worse. In 2021, Brianne voted to defund the police by $15 million, which has left the Metropolitan Police Department dramatically undermanned. Last year, Brianne ignored the pleas of Mayor Muriel Bowser, the MPD, and thousands of her constituents when she passed legislation that reduced penalties on violent criminals including repeat offenders convicted of gun crimes, violent assaults, and carjackings. Conditions in the Ward have become untenable.

”

Diana Alvarez was the chairperson of the Committee to Recall Brianne Nadeau.

Recall opponents

Allen recall effort

In a statement to Axios, Allen said, "I never take the support of my neighbors for granted, but I also know I share their values and provide leadership they're proud of."

Allen's response to the notice of intent to recall read:

“

Decline to sign this petition. Petition organizers aim to mislead you about Charles Allen’s record. Public safety is his top priority. Charles: Expanded MPD’s annual Police Cadet pipeline from 15 to 150 new recruits; Established a $25k signing bonus for new officers during a nationwide police shortage; Incentivized senior officers to stay on the force instead of retiring; and Led the Council in approving MPD budgets over $500 million per year. Charles also passed laws to: Ban “ghost guns”; Increase penalties for dangerous automatic weapons; Create DC’s “Red Flag Law” to get guns off our streets; and Establish the first Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Ward 6 overwhelmingly elected Charles three times because he works to reach consensus and win support for solutions to complex issues. A neighbor and father of two DCPS students, Charles fights every day for Ward 6. He’s secured nearly $1 billion to modernize Ward 6 schools, parks, libraries, and recreation centers. He’s leading efforts to save Metro, get dangerous drivers off our roads, and make government more transparent and accountable. Rising crime is a serious issue. The causes aren’t simple; neither are the solutions. Let’s look beyond distortions and work together to make DC safe.

”

Nadeau recall effort

In a statement regarding the recall effort, Nadeau said:

“

Just over a year ago my Ward 1 neighbors elected me to serve another four years on the Council, to speak up for those without a voice on housing the homeless, ensuring rental assistance, improving government services, and making Ward 1 and the District more livable, including addressing the dramatic and unacceptable rise in crime. I love Ward 1. It is my home and where I’m raising my family. I look at the challenges facing Ward 1 and the District as complex issues requiring thoughtful and comprehensive solutions. Public safety remains my top priority. People’s fears and frustrations about crime are rational and understandable. That’s why I have been working together with public safety experts, community leaders, fellow councilmembers and the Mayor on comprehensive solutions. I’ve introduced legislation to bolster police cadet recruitment and provide additional tools to MPD to help them close more homicide cases. I am pressing the Mayor to fix the District’s failed 911 call center and unaccredited crime lab, which has not been able to process evidence needed to prosecute. I have been working with colleagues to push the U.S. Attorney – who does not report to us – to prosecute more cases. No amount of legislation will put criminals in jail if the crime lab doesn’t process the evidence and the U.S. Attorney won’t bring their cases to court. I have also long worked to address homelessness, mental health and substance use disorder needs, and youth disengagement – the things that evidence and common sense tell us are most effective in preventing crime before it happens. I will always work with and for my constituents to help Ward 1 and the District continue to grow and thrive. A recall does not change that.

”

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in the District of Columbia

The recall process begins in Washington D.C. when a registered voter files a "Notice of Intention to Recall" with the Board of Elections and Ethics, which then serves the officer facing recall with the notice. The officer then has 10 days to respond to the notice. If the board approves the petition for circulation, recall organizers have 180 days to collect signatures from 10% of registered voters in the relevant electoral district.

Organizers had until August 12, 2024, to collect the required signatures for the Allen recall effort. The deadline to submit signatures for the Nadeau recall effort was October 1, 2024.

Organizers of the effort to recall Allen did not collect sufficient signatures to trigger a recall election. They requested that a recall election be scheduled because the District of Columbia Board of Elections did not provide a mobile app to use to collect signatures. Squires said, "With the aid of the required mobile application to collect petition signatures — a significantly easier process than the burdensome task of collecting signatures on paper — the committee would certainly have gathered far more than the requisite number of signatures and succeeded in placing the recall petition on the ballot."

Recall context

See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report

Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.

The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2023 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.

See also

• Ballotpedia's Recall Report
• Washington, D.C.
• Recall campaigns in District of Columbia
• Political recall efforts, 2024
• City council recalls

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Washington, D.C.
• Recall Charles Allen website
• Neighbors United for Ward 6 website
• Recall Brianne Nadeau website
• Ward 1 Residents for Brianne website