Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Betsy Coffia recall, Michigan House of Representatives (2023-2024)
| Rep. Betsy Coffia recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2024 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws State legislative recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Betsy Coffia, a member of the Democratic Party, from her elected position representing District 103 in the Michigan House of Representatives was launched in October 2023. The Michigan Board of State Canvassers met on October 20, 2023, to hold a clarity and factual hearing on the recall's petition language. The board approved the petition for circulation. The approved recall petition was appealed to the state Court of Appeals on October 29. The court dismissed the appeal on December 13, 2023.[1] The recall petition was valid for 180 days from the date of the appeal—or no later than June 5, 2024. To initiate a recall election, supporters of the recall effort must submit signatures of at least 25% of the votes cast in the state House district in the last governor’s race within a 60-day period. The required signatures were not submitted to recall Coffia.
Proponents of the third recall effort criticized Coffia over her vote in favor of House Bill 4145.
On August 21, 2023, the Michigan Board of State Canvassers met to discuss a recall petition against Coffia that was introduced in August 2023. The board rejected the recall petition for circulation on a 3-0 vote. On August 1, 2023, the Michigan Board of State Canvassers met to discuss a recall petition against Coffia that was filed on July 12, 2023. The board rejected the recall petition for circulation on a 2-2 vote.[2]
Coffia was elected to the state House in 2022. She defeated incumbent Jack O'Malley (R) in the general election with 49.8% of the vote.
Recall supporters
First recall petition
Barb Willing filed the recall petition against state Rep. Coffia on July 12, 2023.[3] The petition listed the following reason for recall:[4]
| “ |
On April 13, 2023, State Representative Betsy Coffia voted yes on Michigan House Bill 4145.[5] |
” |
According to MLive, Coffia voted in favor of House Bill 4145. The bill only passed the House, but the Senate version of the bill was signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) in May 2023.[4] The bill established a extreme risk protection order law, which allows family members, household members, and law enforcement officers to petition a court to restrict an individual's access to firearms. If the court finds that the person presents a danger to him- or herself or others, the person must surrender his or her firearms to law enforcement officials and is prohibited from buying, selling, or possessing firearms for a certain amount of time.[6][7] According to The Detroit News, Willing filed the recall petition because she believes the law is unconstitutional. Willing said, "How could anybody be in favor of that? ...If that’s how she’s going to vote, then it's time to recall her."[3]
The Michigan Board of State Canvassers met on August 1, 2023, to hold a clarity and factual hearing on the recall's petition language. The board rejected the recall petition for circulation on a 2-2 vote.[8]
Second recall petition
Barb Willing refiled the recall petition against state Rep. Coffia in August 2023. The recall petition cited Coffia's vote in favor of House Bill 4145 as the reason for the recall.[9] The Michigan Board of State Canvassers met on August 21, 2023, to hold a clarity and factual hearing on the recall's petition language. The board rejected the recall petition for circulation on a 3-0 vote.
Third recall petition
Gerald Walters filed the recall petition against Coffia in October 2023 due to her vote in favor of House Bill 4145.[10] The Michigan Board of State Canvassers met on October 20, 2023, to hold a clarity and factual hearing on the recall's petition language. The board approved the recall petition for circulation on a 3-1 vote.[11]
Recall opponents
After the first recall was announced, Coffia posted on Twitter the following response:[12]
| “ |
Traverse City, July 17, 2023 -- 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. 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. In addition, we've brought home important wins, including millions of dollars to purchase critical public safety equipment for our firefighters and first responders in Grand Traverse and Benzie counties, crucial funding to expand childcare and housing options across the 103rd, along with $15 million for the establishment of a Freshwater Research and Innovation Center in Leelanau County. This new freshwater hub will bring hundreds of well-paying jobs. 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.[5] |
” |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Michigan
Election history
2022
See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 103
Betsy Coffia defeated incumbent Jack O'Malley and Courtney Evans in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 103 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Betsy Coffia (D)  | 49.8 | 27,805 |
 | Jack O'Malley (R) | 48.5 | 27,040 | |
| Courtney Evans (L) | 1.7 | 945 | ||
| Total votes: 55,790 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 103
Betsy Coffia defeated Michael Brodsky in the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 103 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Betsy Coffia | 85.0 | 13,366 |
 | Michael Brodsky | 15.0 | 2,350 | |
| Total votes: 15,716 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 103
Incumbent Jack O'Malley defeated Heather Cerone in the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 103 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jack O'Malley | 75.1 | 11,107 |
 | Heather Cerone | 24.9 | 3,692 | |
| Total votes: 14,799 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Mark McFarlin (R)
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for Michigan House of Representatives District 103
Courtney Evans advanced from the Libertarian convention for Michigan House of Representatives District 103 on July 10, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Courtney Evans (L) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Historical state legislative recalls
Ballotpedia tracked 157 recall efforts against 148 state lawmakers from 1913 to 2022. During that time, 39 recalls made the ballot and 22 state legislators were successfully recalled.[13]
Michigan led the way with 37 state legislative recall efforts from 1913 to 2022. Of those 37 recall efforts, three were successful. Wisconsin followed with 30 state legislative recall efforts. Six of those recalls were successful.
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Recall campaigns in Michigan
- Political recall efforts, 2023
- Political recall efforts, 2024
- State legislative recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Michigan Courts, "COA 368378," accessed February 2, 2024
- ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Michigan elections panel rejects 7 recall petitions targeting lawmakers; approves just 1," August 1, 2023
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Detroit News, "5 House Democrats, 1 Republican targeted by recall attempts," July 17, 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 MLive, "5 Democrats, 1 Republican in House face recalls for red flag, hate crime votes," July 17, 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Giffords Law Center, "Extreme Risk Protection Orders," accessed June 14, 2018
- ↑ The Trace, "Red Flag Laws: Where the Bills Stand in Each State," March 29, 2018
- ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Michigan elections panel rejects 7 recall petitions targeting lawmakers; approves just 1," August 1, 2023
- ↑ Michigan Advance, "Four previously rejected recall petitions for Michigan lawmakers refiled," August 9, 2023
- ↑ Michigan Bureau of Elections, "Board of State Canvassers - October 20, 2023," accessed October 23, 2023
- ↑ Twitter, "Beth LeBlanc on October 20, 2023," accessed October 23, 2023
- ↑ Twitter, "Betsy Coffia on July 17, 2023," accessed July 20, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Recall of State Officials," accessed August 13, 2021
