The Nation - News from Dec. 22, 1987

More than enough petition signatures have been validated to force Arizona Gov. Evan Mecham to face a recall election, county recorders said. “It’s very clear that the citizens of Arizona have spoken with the loudest voice ever yelled in Arizona history,” said Mecham Recall Committee founder Ed Buck. Maricopa County Recorder Keith Poletis and several other county recorders said they had verified 240,512 signatures, well over the 216,746 valid signatures of registered voters required for a recall. Other counties have not completed the verification of their signatures and are expected to add to the total. The only way Mecham could avoid a recall, Poletis said, is to resign or mount a successful court challenge. After Secretary of State Rose Mofford verifies the total, Mecham would be given five days to resign before she would set an election date.