Tagged: recall campaigns

Organizers of the recall campaign against Republican state Representative Paul Scott say they will have enough petition signatures to hand in tomorrow to get the recall on the November ballot in Genesee County.

Bobbi Walton is a coordinator with the recall campaign. She says the recall of one lawmaker would send a message everyone working in the Capitol.

“For me personally it means that the residents in Michigan, when they see that their government has extended their reach , or disappointed them or lied to them, that they then have a law that allows them to come forward and correct the mistake and recall the person that is sitting in that chair.”

Walton says the recall question is also a referendum on Governor Rick Snyder’s job performance. Scott is the chairman of the House Education Committee.

The Michigan Education Association teachers union helped organize the petition drive against Scott.

Scott sponsored the recent changes in Michigan’s teacher tenure laws.

Governor Rick Snyder visited the annual Farmer’s Market on the Capitol lawn today.

Alongside the booths of sweet corn, wild flowers and homemade soap were petition collectors for the campaign to recall Governor Snyder.

Governor Snyder says he is focused on the future, and met recently with legislative leaders to discuss their plans for the fall and winter.

“Yeah, we had a very good meeting and it was largely talking about an assessment of how the first six months went, and where we’re going for the future, and I appreciate it. It’s good to do some longer-term planning and looking at how we’ve done, rather than just talking about the issue of the day.”

Representatives of the campaign to recall Snyder say they will continue to collect signatures through September, and they hope to get the recall question on the February 2012 ballot.

The campaign did not collect enough signatures in time to make the November ballot.

The campaign to recall Governor Rick Snyder says it will fall short of the number of signatures it needs to gather by Friday to qualify for the November ballot.

But organizers say they will press on in an effort to qualify for the next election in February.

A recall spokesman says the drive got off to a slow start, and did not attract much attention until recently.

Bill Ballenger is the editor of the Inside Michigan Politics newsletter. He says recalling the governor is a huge challenge.

“You need so many signatures. You need over 800 thousand signatures – minimum. And you really have to have some padding because obviously Republicans and lawyers are going to challenge the petitions when they’re turned in. Some will be thrown out. So, realistically, you’d have to have, I say, over a million signatures.”

The recall drive says its new goal is to gather a million names by late September.

There are also petitions being circulated to recall more than 20 other legislators.

Ballenger says if one of those gets on the ballot, it would be a referendum on Snyder.

The Michigan Public Radio Network's (MPRN) Laura Weber says there are close to two dozen recall efforts in total across the state.

But some recall efforts are more organized than others.

The following 15 politicians in Lansing are facing recall petitions that have been approved by local election commissions:

• Governor Rick Snyder (R)
• Michigan Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville (R - Monroe)
• State Senator Darwin Booher (R - Evart)
• State Senator Judy Emmons (R - Sheridan)
• State Senator Mike Green (R - Mayville)
• State Senator Mark Jansen (R-Gaines Township)
• State Senator Jim Marleau (R - Lake Orion)
• State Senator Mike Nofs (R - Battle Creek)
• State Senator John Proos (R - St. Joseph)
• Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger (R - Marshall)
• State Representative Kurt Damrow (R - Port Austin)
• State Representative Nancy Jenkins (R - Clayton)
• State Representative Joel Johnson (R - Clare)
• State Representative Phil Potvin (R - Cadillac)
• State Representative Al Pscholka (R - Stevensville)
  

The Associated Press reports roughly a dozen state-level Michigan Republicans already face recall threats this year, less than six months into their current terms. Governor Snyder leads the list of recall targets. Some members of the House and Senate also face recall efforts.
    

Recall attempts are fairly easy to start but it's far tougher to make the ballot and win an election. A successful recall of a Michigan state lawmaker has not been accomplished since 1983.