Historic recall vote set to begin

Ballots will be mailed to Spokane city voters at the end of the week for a historic election on the possible recall of Mayor Jim West.

Historic because a Spokane mayor has never before faced recall by voters, and historic because a city election of this magnitude has never been conducted completely by mail.

Ballots will be in the possession of voters for nearly three weeks, so there’s no single Election Day. Ballots must be marked, signed and mailed so they are postmarked no later than Dec. 6, but can be mailed anytime before that.

On Dec. 6 they can also be dropped off at one of three locations set up by the county Elections Office.

Many people may have already made up their minds how they will vote on the recall. Since the allegations about West’s misconduct were first reported on May 5, The Spokesman-Review has written extensively about the events that led to the recall charge. West has mounted his defense in court, in press conferences and television interviews, and in the pages of this newspaper.

But for those who have yet to decide, there will be no Voter’s Pamphlet prepared by the state or county elections office.