BELLINGHAM (AP) — A petition to recall Sen. Doug Ericksen has been dismissed by Whatcom Superior Court Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis.

The Bellingham Herald reported the judge ruled Thursday the recall effort was based “on the way in which some of his constituencies would like him to carry out his duties, but not a legal requirement about how he must carry out those duties.”

Therefore, the court concluded, the petition is best answered through the electoral process rather than the recall process.

The recall effort was started by some voters in Ericksen’s 42nd District who said the Ferndale Republican wasn’t adequately doing his job as a state senator while also working in Washington, D.C., as part of President Donald Trump’s transition team.

Ericksen began serving as the temporary communications lead at the Environmental Protection Agency in January. Ericksen has said he can do both jobs.