What is the removal of a politician or government official by the voters called?

• A. Recall
• B. Impeachment
• C. Recount
• D. Referendum

Answer: (A)

Recall is the removal of a politician or government official by the voters. It happens when voters petition to trigger a special election to decide whether the official should stay in office; if the majority votes to remove, the seat is filled by an election or successor per local rules. This is different from impeachment, which involves charges pursued by prosecutors or legislators and a trial to determine removal. It is also different from a recount, which only re-checks vote tallies to ensure accuracy, and from a referendum, which asks voters to approve or reject a law or policy rather than to remove an officeholder. An oft-cited example is the recall attempt and subsequent election of California's governor in 2003.