SEATTLE — A formal complaint was filed Tuesday requesting that the King County Elections Office begin the effort to recall City Council member Kshama Sawant, who has been one of the most vocal supporters calling for major cuts to the police department.

The complaint was filed by Ernie Lou, who lives in Capitol Hill and said the council member has lost touch with her district.

“This is the grassroots citizens of District 3 of Seattle that says we don’t support what you’re doing, Councilwoman Sawant,” he said.“They were elected and voted in, but I really feel like the current makeup of the City Council does not represent the true values of the city of Seattle.”

Although it is a tedious process to recall a Washington state elected official, Lou said he felt compelled to try following a controversial vote by the council to defund the Seattle Police Department earlier this month.

The process begins with a filing with the county's elections office. Once county workers have verified Lou’s complaint of charges have followed the proper technical requirements required by law, the request is forwarded to the prosecutor’s office before a judge decides if the allegations rise to the level of a recall.

According to the Washington state Constitution, an elected official can be recalled if that politician, “has committed some act or acts of malfeasance or misfeasance while in office, or who has violated his oath of office.”

Lou argues that Sawant violated city and state laws by misusing city resources and her official authority when she opened Seattle City Hall in June to protesters and took part in a march to Mayor Jenny Durkan’s house last month. Because of Durkan's previous work as a federal attorney, her home address is not widely known for security concerns.

According to one city official who spoke to KOMO News, Lou’s allegations against Sawant could potentially meet the standard of malfeasance. However, a King County Superior Court judge will decide if that's the case.

If the petition goes before a judge, Sawant, who could potentially be represented by a city attorney, could dispute some or all of the allegations contained in the recall complaint. If the judge concludes that at least one allegation does meet the threshold of a recall, Lou would have 180 days to get the required amount of signatures for the measure to be added to the ballot.

In the case of Sawant, Lou would have to secure 25 percent of the amount of people who voted in the prior District 3 election, which amounts to about 10,800 signatures needed to put the recall before voters.

Lou said he hopes to secure enough signatures to put the measure before voters in February.

KOMO News asked Sawant for a comment but her office did not immediately respond to the request.

The recall targeting Sawant marks the second recall petition threat lobbed at a sitting council member this week.

Tim McConnell, of West Seattle, has launched an online petition to recall Councilwoman Lisa Herbold. But as of Tuesday, no formal paperwork had been filed through the King County Elections Office to initiate the recall process.

On Monday, McConnell said even if the recall effort is symbolic, it represents a growing distrust between the council and its constituents.

“Just to know that there other people who feel like I do is kind of reassuring and maybe we can have a voice now,” he said.