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Kelsey Heck recall, Jackson, Michigan (2019)
| Jackson City Council recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2019 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort in Jackson, Michigan, to recall Councilwoman Kelsey Heck was initiated in July 2019.[1] Petitioners submitted enough signatures to put the recall on the ballot. On January 21, 2020, the Jackson County Clerk's Office posted an issuance of election for the recall.[2] On April 6, 2020, Heck resigned her seat on the council. The recall election scheduled for May 5, 2020, was canceled.[3]
Recall supporters
Resident Susan Murdie organized the recall effort. Petitions describe the reasons for a recall as the following:[4]
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Recall opponents
Heck said the recall effort was initiated because of her appointment to the council seat in September 2018. Murdie was a candidate for the position. Heck said the city's charter should be changed to allow for special elections to fill vacancies on the city council.[4]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Michigan
A recall petition must first be filed with the appropriate board, which then holds a hearing to determine whether the reason for the petition is "factual" and "clear;" that is the only criteria considered by the board to approve or reject the petition.
Once approved by the board, petitioners must amass a number of signatures equal to 25% of the number of votes cast in the last general election in the electoral district of the officer sought to be recalled.[6] Petitioners have 60 days to collect these signatures beginning on the date the first signature is collected; however, the petition must be submitted no later than 180 days after it was approved by the board.
Petitions against Heck were approved for circulation on July 29, 2019. Recall organizers began gathering signatures in October. There were 320 signatures submitted for verification on December 17, 2019. At least 226 valid signatures were required to put the recall election on the ballot.[7] On January 21, 2020, the Jackson County Clerk's Office posted an issuance of election for the recall.[2]
See also
- Recall campaigns in Michigan
- Political recall efforts, 2019
- Political recall efforts, 2020
- City council recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ WILX 10, "Recall language approved against appointed Jackson council member," July 31, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ballotpedia staff, "Phone communication with the Jackson City Clerk's Office," January 24, 2020
- ↑ JTV News, "Jackson City Councilperson Kelsey Heck Resigns Seat; Recall Election Cancelled," April 7, 2020
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Michigan Live, "Recall language approved for Jackson City Council member," July 31, 2019
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Michigan Compiled Laws Section 168.955," accessed February 16, 2016
- ↑ Michigan Live, "Recall over traffic circle vote moves ahead against Jackson councilwoman," January 9, 2020
