Breaking Down “Proposition D” In Amarillo Into Layman’s Terms

As we inch closer to election day, we're breaking down all the different propositions up for a vote here in Amarillo. We know the language on the ballot can be confusing at times to understand what the proposition means, so we wanted to get it into layman's terms for you.

It's all about making an informed decision, and that's tough to do if you aren't sure on what exactly the proposition means.

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So far we've taken a look at Proposition A, Proposition B, and Proposition C. Today, Proposition D's turn.

On the ballot, Proposition D reads like this:

To Amend Article II, Section 24 of the Amarillo City Charter to change the recall procedures to reduce the minimum number of signatures required to qualify the recall election of an elective officer from an amount equal to at least thirty (30) percent of the registered voters within the city with at least one-fifth (1/5) of same certifying that each signor voted for the officer in the last election to the amount equal to at least thirty (30) days to sixty (60) days from the filing of the required affidavit and to provide for validation period and notice to the elected officer and City Council with corresponding recall limitations.

Ok, that's a lot of words to try and wade through, isn't it? Imagine if you got inside the voting booth, read that, and had absolutely no clue what it meant. How would you vote? Let's break down what this means.

Prop D is all about recalling someone who has been elected to office here in Amarillo. Sometimes, we have an official who simply isn't doing their job, and many agree. In order to gain a recall of that official, you have to create a petition and get voters to sign it.

In order for a recall to even be considered, 1/5 of registered voters who actually voted for elected officials have to sign the petition. To complicate it, it would need to be 30% of registered voters.

Not everyone votes, so to get 30% of total registered voters in the city and prove that they voted for that particular person being recalled (yes, that's a requirement), it makes it extremely hard for a recall to even happen.

Prop D would change all of that. If passed, it would ease up the requirements for a recall to where all that would need to be obtained are signatures from 30% of those who voted in the previous election.

No more requirements that it had to be for that particular person they voted for, and all the other rules would be thrown out the window. Prop D would also stretch out the amount of time to file the affidavit from 30 days to 60 days.

Long story short, Prop D makes it much easier for recall of an elected official to happen if it passes.

Prop D and Prop C would kind of work in tandem truthfully. If you were to vote yes on Prop C, which is extending terms from two to four years, then you would probably want to vote yes on Prop D as well.

Longer terms in office mean a longer stretch for someone who may not be doing a good job. Now, if you vote no on Prop C, you are probably more apt to vote no on Prop D as well.