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Donni Steele recall, Michigan House of Representatives (2023)
| Rep. Donni Steele recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2023 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws State legislative recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Donni Steele, a member of the Republican Party, from her elected position representing District 54 in the Michigan House of Representatives was launched on July 21, 2023. 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.[1]
Proponents of the recall effort criticized Steele over her vote in favor of House Bill 4139.[2]
Steele was elected to the state House in 2022. She defeated Shadia Martini (D) in the general election with 51.2% of the vote.
Recall supporters
Jerome Allen filed the recall petition against Steele on July 21, 2023, due to her vote in favor of House Bill 4139. The bill passed the state House but did not reach the governor's desk. The bill would have required gun owners to store weapons when not in use.[2] The recall petition stated:[3]
| “ |
On March 22, 2023, State Representative Donni Steele voted yes on Michigan House Bill 4139.[4] |
” |
Recall opponents
After the recall was announced, Steele issued the following statement:[2]
| “ |
This recall effort is just a sad attempt to remove an elected official from doing the job which I was elected to do – elected by the majority of the people in the 54th House District. This partisan ploy distracts our attention away from the very divisive and destructive policies coming out of Lansing. Destructiveness – such as terrible budgets for Michigan residents that were crafted in secret meetings without transparency or accountability, or the blatant disregard for our state’s fundamental needs such as fixing our roads and focusing on school excellence. Lansing Democrats continue to overlook these basics every single day while increasing bureaucracy. I came to Lansing because fixing our roads was a major priority and our taxes should be kept low so that we can attract high-paying jobs. I won’t be deterred from delivering on the best interests of those who elected me to serve them in Lansing.[4] |
” |
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 54
Donni Steele defeated Shadia Martini in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 54 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Donni Steele (R) | 51.2 | 22,960 |
 | Shadia Martini (D) | 48.8 | 21,912 | |
| Total votes: 44,872 | |||
 = 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 54
Shadia Martini defeated Stephanie Fakih and Gary Gerson in the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 54 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Shadia Martini | 39.3 | 3,786 |
 | Stephanie Fakih | 35.3 | 3,402 | |
 | Gary Gerson | 25.4 | 2,451 | |
| Total votes: 9,639 | |||
| = 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 54
Donni Steele defeated Sandy Kiesel in the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 54 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Donni Steele | 57.6 | 5,992 |
| Sandy Kiesel | 42.4 | 4,415 | ||
| Total votes: 10,407 | |||
| = 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
- Ken Trafton (R)
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.[5]
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.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Michigan elections panel rejects 7 recall petitions targeting lawmakers; approves just 1," August 1, 2023
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 WWMT, "Second Michigan Republican representative, Donni Steele, faces recall over firearm legislation vote," July 21, 2023
- ↑ Bridge Michigan, "More Michigan lawmakers targeted for recall," July 21, 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Recall of State Officials," accessed August 13, 2021
