1921 North Dakota gubernatorial recall election facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
1921 North Dakota gubernatorial recall election

← 1920 October 28, 1921 1922 →

Nominee Ragnvald Nestos Lynn Frazier Party Independent Voters Association Non-Partisan League Popular vote 111,425 107,332 Percentage 50.94% 49.06%

County results Nestos:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Frazier:      50-60%      60-70%      60-70%      80-90%

Governor before election Lynn Frazier Non-Partisan League Elected Governor Ragnvald A. Nestos Independent Voters Association

The 1921 North Dakota gubernatorial recall election was a special vote. People in North Dakota decided if their governor, Lynn Frazier, should stay in office. This was the first time a US governor was successfully removed by a recall election. The next time this happened was in 2003 with Gray Davis, the Governor of California.

What is a Recall Election?

A recall election is a way for voters to remove an elected official from office before their term ends. It's like a special election where people vote "yes" or "no" on whether the official should keep their job. If more people vote "yes" to remove them, the official is out. Then, voters usually choose a new person to take their place.

Why Did the Recall Happen?

The recall election happened because of a big disagreement in North Dakota politics. There were two main groups:

• The Non-Partisan League (NPL): Governor Frazier was part of this group. They believed the state should own and run some businesses, like banks and mills. This idea is sometimes called "state ownership."
• The Independent Voters Association (IVA): This group disagreed with the NPL. They thought businesses should be owned by private companies, not the state. They supported a "market economy" where businesses compete freely.

The Main Disagreement

The biggest fight was about two state-owned businesses:

• The Bank of North Dakota: This was a state-owned bank.
• The North Dakota Mill and Elevator: This was a state-owned mill for processing grain.

Governor Frazier and his party, the NPL, supported these state-owned businesses. The IVA thought these businesses should be private.

Gathering Signatures

People who wanted to recall Governor Frazier and two other officials, Attorney General William Lemke and Commissioner of Agriculture John N. Hagan, started gathering signatures. These three officials were part of the North Dakota Industrial Commission, which managed the state-owned businesses. By September, they had collected 73,000 signatures. This was enough to force the recall election. The election was set for October 28, 1921.

Election Results

On October 28, 1921, the voters made their choice. Ragnvald A. Nestos was elected as the new governor. He won by a small difference of 4,093 votes. Nestos became the new governor on November 23.

Images for kids

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  Ragnvald A. Nestos

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  Lynn Frazier

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  Map of the election results by county