Senate Bill 2518 Summary

• Establishes a unified recall procedure for state and local elected officials in Mississippi, requiring 15% of registered electors for statewide officials (with geographic distribution across congressional districts) or 30% for local officials to initiate a recall election.

• Sets grounds for recall including malfeasance, oath violations, misconduct in office, failure to perform statutory duties, or misappropriation of public funds; prohibits recalls during first and last 180 days of term.

• Requires official sponsors to file applications with election boards, which must verify signatures within 5-45 days depending on office level; allows recalled official to petition circuit court for review of recall grounds' legal sufficiency within 4 days.

• Mandates recall elections be held 30-45 days after petition certification, with voters deciding removal by majority vote; prevents subsequent recall petitions within 6 months following a recall election or petition denial.

• Criminalizes giving or receiving payment for petition signatures, coercing signatures, forging names on petitions, or signing while ineligible; repeals existing local recall procedures in Mississippi Code Sections 25-5-3 through 25-5-37; effective July 1, 2019.