Chicago voters could vote this fall to give themselves the power to recall far-left mayor Brandon Johnson whose first year in office has been marked by a progressive turn, surging violence, and a flood of migrants drawn to the city’s sanctuary policies.
On Friday, leaders of a new political action committee launched the “Recall this Fall” petition to put a binding referendum on the November ballot, according to a news release. If approved by voters, the referendum would provide a mechanism for residents to recall their mayor.
But getting on the ballot will be no easy challenge. Supporters of the effort need to gather the signatures of 56,464 Chicago voters by August 5.
If they are successful, and if voters were to approve the initiative in November, they would then need to launch another petition drive and collect more than 120,000 valid signatures to put a recall of Johnson on the March 2026 ballot, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The press release announcing the petition drive notes that many cities in Illinois and across the country offer their voters an opportunity to recall poorly performing mayors.
“Chicagoans should have the ability to do the same,” it says.
