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Rochelle Brown and Evan Laurie recall, Elmwood Township, Michigan (2025-2026)
| Rochelle Brown and Evan Laurie recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Evan Laurie |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Trustees Rochelle Brown and Evan Laurie is underway in Elmwood Township, Michigan.[1]
Recall supporters
Recall organizers cited a vote at a January 15, 2025 Elmwood Township Board meeting where Brown and Laurie voted to end the township’s professional relationship with Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith PC and approve the hiring of Bauckham, Thall, Seeber, Kaufman & Koches PC as grounds for the recall.[1]
Recall opponents
Speaking at a December 4, 2025 meeting of the Tuscola County Election Commission, Brown said, "Transparency within our township board is negligent at best." Brown said, "Most times we wouldn’t even know if the law firm was coming to our meeting until we showed up and would be sitting at our [township board] table. [Law firm attorneys] weren’t willing to speak with us. If we asked questions, they would answer, begrudgingly. So not feeling that we were part of the board and being able to have our voices listened to, or be spoken to – or even considered – was another reason to switch law firms."[1]
At the same meeting, Laurie said, "As an elected trustee, one of my responsibilities is to look after the fiduciary health of the township, and avoid unnecessary risk and waste." Laurie also said, "[Brown] outlined what our previous legal firm had been spending. They went from – we were budgeting, in the fiscal years 2021 and 2022, it was $5,000 (per year for legal services). In 2023 and in 2024 and from then on, that has since become $25,000 (annually). So I was really interested in seeking out a way to reel in some waste in the township."[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Michigan
No specific grounds are required for recall in Michigan. To get a recall on the ballot in Michigan, recall supporters must collect signatures equal in number to 25% of voters in the jurisdiction in the last gubernatorial election. They have 60 days between the collection of the first signature and the collection of the last signature on the petition. Recall petitions are eligible to collect signatures for 180 days.[2][3][4]
The deadline to collect signatures is January 31, 2026.
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 2025 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
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Elmwood Township, Michigan
- Recall campaigns in Michigan
- Political recall efforts, 2026
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- City council recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Tuscola Advertiser, "Elmwood Twp. Recall Drive can Proceed," accessed December 6, 2025
- ↑ Michigan Election Law, "Act 116 of 1954: 168.955 Recall petition; number of signatures; certification." accessed October 13, 2023
- ↑ 'Michigan Election Law, "Act 116 of 1954: 168.961 Recall petition; filing; receipt; duties of filing official; duties of city or township clerk; certificate; duties of village clerk; use of qualified voter file." accessed October 13, 2023
- ↑ Michigan Election Officials' Manual, "Chapter 18 Recall Process," August 2017
