Gates: Ruling would not have changed recall

Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates challenged a Carson City company's interpretation of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, arguing the ruling wouldn't have affected her failed recall attempt.

Rick Arnold, chief executive of National Voter Outreach, which was hired to orchestrate a recall effort of Gates, announced Thursday the court's decision would have changed the outcome of the effort.

The court's ruling says circulators do not have to be registered voters.

"This has zero effect on either one of the recall petitions," said Gates' attorney Aviva Gordon. "The circulators of the petition were registered voters, but individuals who signed the petition weren't registered voters."

The group was hired by Citizens for Honest and Responsible Government, which attempted to oust Gates because of her alleged attempts to use her elected position to negotiate leases for her daiquiri business.

After the first recall attempt failed, the citizens group opted to try again using volunteers rather than the Outreach company. Janet Broderick, co-chairwoman of the citizens organization, called the first go-around "chaotic" and admitted there were reports that the petition drive was flawed.

But Arnold maintained the new law would have made his company's recall attempt successful.

"We turned in more than enough signatures of registered voters in the district," he said. "However, many of those signatures were thrown out over problems with the voter registration of the circulator."

Gordon said the citizens group is withholding its last payment from National Voter Outreach.

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