Supreme Court Arguments Present El Paso With 2 Possible Recall Dates
ABC-7 is getting a clearer picture of what could happen to the city’s recall election if the U.S. Supreme Court doesn’t come to a decision on Texas redistricting maps soon.
Right now, El Paso Mayor John Cook and city reps. Susie Byrd and Steve Ortega face an April 14 recall election date.
But the timing of a judicial decision in Washington over the political maps could affect the timing of the Texas primary elections, tentatively scheduled for April 3.
El Paso’s county elections administrator, Javier Chacon, has said if the state were to hold its primaries on that day, the recall election would have to be moved, to give the county elections department more time to prepare between voting days.
During Tuesday’s city council meeting, the city attorney’s office advised council members of two possible scenarios.
If the Supreme Court were to make a decision by the final week of January, the state primaries would remain on April 3 and the recall election would move to May 12.
The city attorney’s office said if this were to happen, city council would need to officially call for the election at the February 21 council meeting. The city is required to provide the federal government with 75 days notice before calling for an election.
But if the Supreme Court were to issue ruling later that anticipated and force the primaries into late-spring or summer, El Paso’s recall would remain on April 14.
City council would then need to issue the call for that election by January 24.
Cook told ABC-7 Tuesday that when it comes to the recall, he feels the sooner, the better.
“I would actually like to get it done and out of the way,” he said. “This is not something I like hanging over my head.”
Cook, Byrd and Ortega voted to continue to provide health insurance for gay and unwed partners of city employees, overturning an El Paso voter-approved ordinance.
The elected officials have said they voted the way that they did because the vague ordinance, written by Brown’s group, would have discontinued health benefits for about 200 unintended city employees.
There is no word on when the Supreme Court will rule.
