Fast Start for Recall Effort

By Woody Jenkins, Editor • Asked why he decided to start the process of recalling Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, recall chairman Joey Vidrine of Eunice said it in two words: “Fed up!”

“I have been pretty much like everyone else I know. I’m very upset by the overreach of the governor and especially the mask order,” he said. “I kept reading about the recall effort and learned that actually no one had filed the paperwork with the Secretary of State to formally start the process. The Secretary of State sent me the recall package, and I jumped in with no organization,” Vidrine said. “I was surprised how easy it was to do the paperwork.”

Not affiliated with the formal recall effort but firmly supporting it is Christina Sanford Hamilton of Monroe, who started a Facebook page called Recall John Bel Edwards in 2016.  It had 40,000 followers until two weeks ago.  Since then, it has doubled to 84,000 followers. Her website is 

RecallJohnBelEdwards.com and GeauxRecall.com. Ms. Hamilton and her followers are organizing the state for the recall effort.

That effort is daunting. It must secure 680,000 verified signatures of Louisiana voters within six months of the Aug. 29, 2020 filing date.

Ms. Hamilton said her group’s recall effort already has leaders in 60 of the 64 parishes. Many of those parishes have their own websites. To access them, go to Recall-JohnBelEdwards.com.

Vidrine said Edwards’ shutdown of the Louisiana economy and endless “orders” and changes left him feeling helpless.  “I’ve always tried to be in charge of my destiny. I felt like I could work my way out of any problem, but with Edwards deciding my future with new decrees everyday, I could see no way out.  So I had to do something to try to bring it all to an end,” he said.

Vidrine said that to his amazement, after he filed the documents with the Secretary of State, people from all over the state have stepped up in large numbers. He said Christina Hamilton and her Facebook and website have done a great job. “We owe her a lot!” he said.

Ms. Hamilton said Edwards’ decision not to move forward has angered much of the state. “He promised to move us to Phase 3, but instead went back to 1.5.  With him, there is no end in sight. He’s become a real dictator.”

Ms. Hamilton said Edwards has destroyed or is in the process of destroying tens of thousands of businesses. “When you kill businesses, you kill people,” she said. “People who are compromised need to stay home or take precautions, but life for everyone else has to go on.”

RecallJohnBelEdwards.com and the Facebook page are hubs of activity for the recall effort, filled with news and local contact.

Ms. Hamilton said it is important for volunteers to read the instructions carefully on gathering signatures. “If you don’t do it right, they won’t count,” she cautioned.

While Edwards says he’s not losing sleep over the recall effort, the reality is Christina Hamilton has thousands of people working everyday to bring the recall to the election ballot next year.