FORT SCOTT, Kan. — Bourbon County Attorney James Crux has certified a recall petition against County Clerk Susan Walker, initiating a 90-day window for organizers to collect the signatures required to trigger a recall election.
The petition was certified April 27, giving organizers until July 26 to collect the needed signatures.
Under K.S.A. 25-4325, the required number of signatures must equal at least 40% of the total votes cast for all candidates for that office in the last general election. In this case, Crux told the Bourbon County Monitor that 2,374 signatures are required.
Only registered Bourbon County voters may sign the petition. Once the minimum number of signatures is certified, the recall initiative will go on the ballot.
Under K.S.A. 25-4318, Crux will certify the signatures instead of Walker, who would normally do so as county election officer, to prevent a conflict of interest.
As of May 8, there were 30 petition carriers collecting signatures.
The recall effort follows a formal vote of no confidence against Walker issued April 9 by Bourbon County Republican Party precinct members. The petition cites a “failure to perform duties prescribed by law,” specifically regarding ballot errors during the November 2025 general election.
The primary complaint involves the omission of USD 235 Board of Education candidates from official ballots during the advance voting period in the 2025 general election. According to the petition, the error resulted in early in-person and mail-in ballots being cast without the school board races included.
The petition says the clerk’s office initially attributed the error to the school district filing an incorrect voting plan, but later testimony from the school superintendent contradicts that. The petition also says corrected ballots were not printed and distributed until the night before the general election.
When reached for comment, a representative of the recall committee referred all inquiries to the county attorney’s office. Walker, in response to requests for comment, provided a press release addressing both the vote of no confidence and the recall petition, which is linked below.
