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5 House Democrats, 1 Republican targeted by recall attempts [1]
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Date: 2023-07-17
Lansing — Recall petitions have been submitted against five House Democrats for votes they took on gun regulations and hate crime legislation in a bid to upset the Democrat's narrow hold on the chamber, while a sixth petition was filed against a first-term House Republican.
Democratic state Reps. Jennifer Conlin of Ann Arbor, Betsy Coffia of Traverse City, Sharon MacDonell of Troy, Reggie Miller of Van Buren Township and Jaime Churches of Wyandotte are subject to the filed recall language, which could be considered as soon as the Aug. 1 Board of State Canvassers meeting.
One House Republican so far, Rep. Cam Cavitt of Cheboygan, also had recall paperwork filed against him, according to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's office. The reason cited in Cavitt's recall petition is his vote to elect Rep. Joe Tate as speaker, a procedural vote that most Republicans joined.
Four of the five Democratic lawmakers being recalled received notices last week from Benson's office informing them of the recall. MacDonell has not yet been notified by Benson's office but has received a copy of the petition filed against her.
The Democrats control the House by a 56-54 margin. If one of the five Democrats gets successfully recalled and replaced by a Republican, the chamber's control would be split between the parties. A successful recall of the GOP lawmaker and replacement by a Democrat would give the majority party a slightly bigger cushion to operate in the House.
Coffia and MacDonell face efforts to recall them for their votes in favor of extreme risk orders or what is commonly called red flag laws — court orders allowing police to confiscate firearms temporarily from individuals deemed to be a risk to themselves or others. Conlin, Churches and Miller face recalls for their votes in favor of an expansion of the state's ethnic intimidation act to include hate crimes.
Both pieces of legislation were driven by Democrats' "commitment to put the people of Michigan first," House Speaker Joe Tate said in a Monday statement. The Detroit Democrat said the caucus will "fully support and defend those targeted."
"Michigan’s recall law is an important option available to citizens when it is necessary to hold elected officials accountable for wrongdoing," Tate said in a statement. "The law is not a tool to overturn the will of the majority of voters."
House Democrats hold a slim majority that has already caused challenges to the passage of certain legislation when a member is out sick or against a bill being proposed.
Both Coffia and Churches won their districts in November by a little more than one percentage point.
In addition to those facing recall, two other House Democrats — Reps. Kevin Coleman of Westland and Lori Stone of Warren — will compete in primary elections next month to become mayor of their respective cities.
More:Six Warren hopefuls vow to fix divided city in bids to replace Mayor Fouts
Barb Willing of Traverse City said she filed the recall petition against Coffia based on the first-term lawmaker's support of extreme risk protection orders because she believes the law is unconstitutional.
"How could anybody be in favor of that?" Willing said. "...If that’s how she’s going to vote, then it's time to recall her."
Katie Kniss — an unsuccessful candidate in Michigan's 104th House District Republican primary last year — is likely to be nominated to run against Coffia in the 103rd District if the question makes the ballot, Willing said.
Coffia in a statement Monday said she respected the recall process as a way to hold accountable politicians who "betray the public trust." But, she said, "recall should not be used to disenfranchise thousands of voters in the 103rd District simply because of a policy disagreement."
"My focus has been squarely on the needs and concerns of the district and while I'm very proud of the work we've done so far, I know there is much more to do," Coffia said. "I will not be distracted from continuing to deliver results for communities across the 103rd District."
Miller described the recalls, all filed on the same day, as a "slew of attempts" to "undermine democracy."
"While Michigan’s recall law is an important option available to citizens to hold representatives accountable for wrongdoing, it is not intended to overturn the will of the majority of voters," Miller said on social media.
Michael T. Ross, who filed the petition against MacDonell, said he was upset by the lawmaker's alleged unwillingness to talk with him about ways to address "broken" families and marriages in Michigan. But he gave a different reason on the actual recall — her vote on extreme risk protection legislation — because he said he realized his views on marriage and family may not be enough to sway the district's electorate.
"The thing that will rally people to sign petitions is that they — the conservatives — do not want to be disarmed," Ross said. He added that he focused on where he could "get people to open their eyes and get interested.”
Gary Wnuk, a Republican and Fairview Area Schools board member, declined to answer questions about the recall petition he filed against Cavitt.
Cavitt called the effort a meaningless partisan tactic "aimed at serving the interests of one political faction."
"By diverting time, resources, and attention towards this effort, we risk hampering progress and hindering the efficient functioning of our government," Cavitt said. "It’s not just a waste of time, but a waste of taxpayer dollars."
Those who filed the recall petitions face an uphill battle under laws rewritten in 2012 that make it more difficult to recall a sitting lawmaker.
Recall petitions against an individual serving up to two years cannot be filed within that individual's first or last six months in office, which is likely why a rash of recall petitions are being filed in July.
The Board of State Canvassers will begin reviewing the petitions Aug. 1 to determine whether the conduct alleged in the recall language is clear and factual and occurred while the lawmakers was in office.
If or when the recall language is approved, organizers would have to collect resident signatures equal to 25% of the votes cast in the district in the last gubernatorial election within a 60-day window to get the recall question on the ballot.
If an organizer has collected the requisite number of valid signatures, a recall election will be scheduled at the next regularly scheduled election in May or November, where the recalled individual, if he or she hasn't withdrawn, will run against nominees of opposing political parties.
The winner of the election will fill the remaining time left of the recalled individual's term.
Staff writer Craig Mauger contributed.
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[1] Url:
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/michigan/2023/07/17/michigan-house-representatives-recall-petition-democrats-gun-control-red-flag-law-hate-crime-bill/70420119007/
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