Battleground 109: Total Recall Edition
Saying Jenn Hill can be recalled and doing it are two different things
The Michigan legislature has passed numerous gun safety measures to curb mass shootings in the past few months.
The legislation was one of the first significant items passed by the newly minted Democratic-controlled legislature (the first time they controlled both chambers since the early 1980s). The first votes took place weeks after the Michigan State University shooting while emotions were still high. Details of the legislation can be found HERE
On the eve the legislation was voted on, Great Lakes Gun Rights (GLGR), a second amendment advocacy organization, argued that “Red Flag gun confiscation orders allow an old roommate, ex-spouse, ex-girlfriend, or ex-boyfriend to file for an order against someone with very little evidence and strip someone of their rights without due process.” The statement can be found HERE
GLGR also stated certain lawmakers who voted for the measures would be targeted in a recall campaign. Their strategy is to find lawmakers in their first term or won their seats by very slim margins, where they have earned little political capital and are still trying to build relationships with their constituency. One of their top targets is Freshmen District 109 Representative Jenn Hill (D-Marquette), who voted for all measures.
The 109 District is a working-class area in the central upper peninsula (All of Alger, Baraga, and Marquette Counties to go with Breen, Felch, Norway Waucedah, and West Branch townships and the City of Norway in Dickinson County). The area is known for its rich outdoor heritage that includes hunting. One of the more noticeable messaging tactics that the GLGR has used is the focus on hunting that it will be harder to hunt wild game for law-abiding citizens. The release states, “The so-called ‘universal background checks’ bills are de facto universal gun registration and will make it illegal to loan a close relative or friend a shotgun for hunting.”
However, recalling Hill will take a lot of work. Because she is in her first term, she cannot be recalled for the First and last six months of her term.
This means the time frame the process of recalling her is July of 2023 to May of 2024. With such a slim time window, a debate will occur about whether it will be worth the effort to organize a recall against Hill or run a competitive campaign against her in the 2024 presidential election, in which her seat and the other 109 seats in the legislature will be on the ballot.
Suppose Great Lakes Gun Rights still wants to pursue a recall. In that case, they must do the following
-Get 10,395 signatures of registered voters within the district’s boundaries (the number is based on the law states that 20% of the total ballots cast from the last gubernatorial election)
-It must be filed in Marquette County, the county with the most votes cast
-The petition must be filled by a resident who is a registered voter
These actions will just start the process, and once the signatures are submitted, there will no doubt be challenges and lawsuits filed by all parties involved before it gets a hearing from the local board of canvassers before it is sent to the state.
No doubt, the 109 districts will be competitive the next time it’s on the ballot, whether only once or twice within the next year and a half.
