SMITHFIELD — In an apparently unprecedented act yesterday, voters resoundingly banished Stephen G. Tocco from the Town Council.

The controversial council president drew 722 votes from supporters, according to unofficial figures, while his opponents cast 2,606 ballots to remove him from public office. Fifteen thousand residents were eligible to vote.

The town’s Board of Canvassers scheduled a meeting for 10 a.m. today to certify the election results. Tocco will officially leave the council at that point.

It was the second humiliating loss of office for Tocco in recent months. In July, the Carcieri administration removed him from the post of chief of the Rhode Island Capitol Police after The Journal discovered he had a criminal past. Tocco could not be reached for comment yesterday.

James W. Archer, the chairman of the Republican Town Committee and Tocco’s leading critic, said, “This is about three and a half to one. I feel this big result really vindicates the recall effort. With all the people who said this is not a good enough reason to remove him, let’s just wait, this has shown that the people did think this was a good reason to remove Mr. Tocco from his office. The people stood up and fixed what they saw as a big problem in our town.”

Under the terms of the Town Charter, the council must replace Tocco, a Democrat, with a member of his own party. Just when that might happen was not immediately clear. The council has a scheduled meeting Tuesday.

Chris Barnett, spokesman for Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis, said yesterday that his office was unaware of any previous recall election in Rhode Island. Critics of Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. tried to initiate a recall election in 1983-’84, but their petition drive fell 4,000 signatures short of the 19,000 that were required.

Tocco, who was working as a Capitol Police officer and as an employee of a construction company, carried or paid thousands of dollars in bribes to public works officials in Pawtucket and Providence in the 1980s and 1990s, according to U.S. District Court records.

Tocco told the tale as a witness in the trial of Gary Garafano, former deputy public works director in Providence.

Tocco received immunity from prosecution.