The City of Colorado Springs City Clerk Sarah Johnson declared on March 6 that the petition to recall District 2 City Councilmember Tom Bailey has a sufficient number of valid signatures under the City Charter. This announcement follows a second submission of signatures after an earlier determination that the petition was insufficient.
According to the City Charter, the City Council must order a recall election unless Councilmember Bailey resigns within five days of the declaration. The deadline for resignation is Wednesday, March 11 at 5 p.m. If Bailey does not resign by then, the council is required to schedule a recall election on a Tuesday between 30 and 60 days from when the petition was declared sufficient. If another municipal election is already scheduled within 90 days, the council may choose to hold both elections on the same date.
Bailey will continue his duties as councilmember unless voters approve his recall in the upcoming election. Should he resign within the five-day period, no recall election will be held. In that case, the District 2 seat would become vacant and City Council would follow procedures outlined in its charter and rules to fill the vacancy within 30 days.
The process for filling a vacancy involves accepting applications and appointing a replacement who would serve until the next regular municipal election on April 6, 2027. At that time, voters would elect someone to serve out any remaining term.
The recall effort began when a petition was submitted to Johnson’s office on Oct. 23, 2025. After an initial review found too few valid signatures in December, organizers were given an additional month to collect more names. The final submission in February met requirements after verification.
