TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan Rep. Betsy Coffia (D-Traverse City) is one of five Democrats and one Republican representatives in Michigan, facing a recall according to House Democrats who announced the recalls on Monday.

Traverse City’s Barb Willing submitted a recall petition for Coffia over what she believes is the unconstitutionality of the extreme risk protection orders that Coffia voted for, otherwise known as the “red flag” gun legislation. The recall petition language simply says, “On April 13, 2023, State Representative Betsy Coffia voted yes on Michigan House Bill 4145.”

Willing is no stranger to doing recalls or to politics. The Republican precinct delegate has run for office before and is currently running to be on the Traverse City Commission.

When asked if her petition was part of a coordinated effort with the other recalls that were filed last Wednesday in Lansing, she said it was not but that the others may have been.

What led her to file the petition? She told Michigan News Source she said Coffia’s vote on the red flag legislation put her over the edge. She said, “The Supreme Court has ruled that red flag laws are unconstitutional so why is our state passing red flag laws?”

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In the bill’s description it says, “A bill to provide for the issuance of restraining orders prohibiting certain individuals from possessing or purchasing firearms and ordering the surrender and seizure of a restrained individual’s firearms; to provide for the powers and duties of certain state and local governmental officers and entities; to prescribe penalties; and to provide remedies.”

Coffia said in a statement about the recall on Twitter, “This morning, Gongwer News reported that recall petitions were filed against me and four other freshmen House Democratic members over our voting records. While I respect the recall process as an important tool to hold politicians accountable when they betray the public trust, recall should not be used to disenfranchise thousands of voters in the 103rd District simply because of a policy disagreement.”

Coffia continued, “In my first six months in office, I am proud to have successfully championed a major budget win with the inclusion of a new school busing equity funding formula in the School Aid Fund. This additional funding for rural districts is badly needed and long overdue, and takes a big step to address a decades long inequity impacting generations of northern Michigan school children, freeing up significant dollars from going into school bus gas tanks, back into our kids’ classrooms, toward mental health staff hires and more.”

She went on to tout other Democratic wins including securing money to purchase funds for firefighters and public safety equipment for first responders in Grand Traverse and Benzie counties as well as expanding childcare and housing options for the area she represents.

Coffia concluded in her tweets, “Our Democratic majority has expanded protections for Michiganders’ civil rights and passed the first common sense gun safety legislation in decades, measures that are supported by over 70% of Michiganders. We’ve also secured repeal of the retirement tax and expansion of the working families tax credit to put thousands of dollars back into the pockets of hard-working families in the 103rd. 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. I will not be distracted from continuing to deliver results for communities across the 103rd District.”

In addition to Coffia, Democratic Reps. Sharon MacDonell of Troy, Jennifer Conlin of Ann Arbor, Reggie Miller of Van Buren Township and Jaime Churches of Wyandotte all had recalls filed against them over votes on hate crimes, gun reform and other matters. Republican Rep. Cam Cavitt of Cheboygan also received a recall petition for supporting a procedural vote to name Democratic Rep. Joe Tate (D-Detroit) as House Speaker.

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It’s reported that the recalls were filed by past candidates for office in their districts or local Republican activists. As the process moves ahead, the Michigan Board of State Canvassers will meet on August 1st to decide if the petitions can proceed and the organizers can begin to collect signatures. Recall language needs to be reviewed and determined whether or not it is “factual” and of “sufficient clarity.”

House Speaker Tate said in a statement on Twitter that the Democrats are taking the recall petitions seriously and will “fully support and defend those targeted.” He added, “House Democrats are driven by our commitment to put the people of Michigan first. We know Michiganders want their children to be safe at school; their places of worship to be free from threats of violence; and to feel safe and secure in everyday life…We have seen campaigns based on misinformation and lies used to challenge the integrity of our elections and mount an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. We know that those who purposely misrepresent facts have ulterior motives and do not represent the majority of voters.”

Tate concluded, “Michigan’s recall law is an important option available to citizens when it is necessary to hold elected officials accountable for wrongdoing. The law is not a tool to overturn the will of the majority of voters.”

If the language is approved, organizers will have 60 days to collect at least 25 percent of the total votes the governor got in the representative’s district in the 2022 election. If Coffia is recalled and there is a recall election, the winner of that election would serve out the rest of Coffia’s term.

Because of the many recalls, the House majority that the Democrats currently have could be in jeopardy. Coffia won her election by only 765 votes and might have to face another close election. However, it won’t likely be a repeat race against former Republican Rep. Jack O’Malley as he has told Michigan News Source that he has no plans to run again.

Recall candidates, according to Gov. Whitmer’s interpretation of Michigan’s campaign finance law and the opinion of the Bureau of Elections, are allowed to raise much higher amounts of money for their campaigns than they can during a regular election. With those precedents established, the recall elections for Coffia and the others could turn into very heavily financed operations.