TEXAS CITY, TX – On July 7, 2025, Joshua McMeekin, a registered voter of Texas City, filed an
affidavit of petition for the recall of Mayor Dedrick Johnson. The recall petition was formally
submitted and hand-delivered to City Hall on August 5, 2025, and received by the City Secretary’s
Office.
Following a thorough review, the original petition was deemed insufficient on August 13, 2025, in
accordance with the standards set forth in the Texas City Charter and Texas Election Code. The
Commission and the original petitioner were promptly notified.
As allowed by the City Charter, supplemental petition packets were issued on August 14, 2025. On
August 22, 2025, Mr. McMeekin submitted the supplemental petition packets to the City
Secretary’s Office for further review.
Today, August 27, 2025, the City Secretary’s Office presents its final findings:
- The City Charter provides a 10-day window for a petition to be amended. It does not allow
circulators to add names to the petition. They may, however, attempt to correct
deficiencies in the original petition. The submission of the supplemental petition did not
change the original certification status because it did not correct the issues with the
original recall petition. - Several pages of the petition—both original and supplemental—failed to comply with the
Texas City Charter and Texas Election Code §277.002. Specifically, numerous pages lacked
essential and required information, rendering those sections invalid. - Additionally, Joshua McMeekin, the originator of the petition, was assisted by multiple
circulators who did not comply with Article VIII, Sections 1 and 2 of the Texas City Charter,
further undermining the validity of the petition.
Due to these multiple and significant non-compliances with both the Texas City Charter and state
election law, the petition cannot be certified as valid. Legal opinions support this interpretation and
action. Therefore, the original recall petition is still insufficient, and no further action shall be taken.
