UPDATE! Recall Petitions With A Twist?

I stand corrected, and many thanks to Leon Drolet of the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance for setting me straight. A federal court ruling in late 2008 found the residency requirement for circulators unconstitutional. Here's a link to Michigan Recall Procedures: A General Overview (.pdf file) from the Secretary of State's office which clarifies the rules. So. If we could afford to hire these women, I guess it would be legal. We can't, obviously, and it just seems to me like it shouldn't be allowed (paying outsiders), but there you have it. On the plus side, this ruling means that friends and family who don't live here CAN come in to help us. None of this changes my concerns about carefully following all the other procedures, rules and laws, though.

I received a very interesting phone call about 10:30 this morning. A woman who claimed to have obtained my home phone number from the "clerk's office" was inquiring about the recall campaign. Here's the twist:

She and her friend are very experienced petition circulators, she said, and they would be happy to help us gather the needed signatures on our petitions. They were most recently involved in a petition drive in Redford, and she could guarantee the quality and speed of their work. For a fee. I simply told her we are not in a financial position to pay, mostly because I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing.

Either this lady is ignorant of Michigan election law or she thinks I am. What she proposed is ILLEGAL. Neither she nor her friend live in Armada Township and are therefore most definitely NOT qualified to serve as circulators here. I quote from the list of instructions for circulators on the back of the recall petition form:

"Enter the name of the city or township where you are registered. You must be registered to vote in a city or township represented by the officeholder whose recall is sought."

No one who actually reads the rules could be confused. This may be just the beginning of attempts to trick or tempt us into breaking the law. DON'T BE FOOLED. If you are contacted by anyone (especially someone you don't know!) with brilliant ideas about how to run this recall, PLEASE check with us first! We have people who are well-versed in the law and recall procedures who can guide you to be sure everything is above-board and LEGAL.

No one should be circulating anything yet; our clarity hearing is still one week away. If we get approval from the Election Commission next Monday, then and only then do we begin gathering signatures!

No matter how badly we may want these folks removed from office, we cannot - WILL NOT - resort to behaving in any way which might discredit or negate the effort. If you have any questions, please use the contact information in the right sidebar to contact us. As always, check this site for any updates or new information.