Organizers are expected to begin collecting signatures to recall State Representative Brandon Dillon of Grand Rapids. A panel of Kent County officials approved the recall language Tuesday. That’s despite the fact that the claim laid out in the petition is untrue.
The petition claims Dillon voted against a bill aimed at investigating unemployment fraud. Dillon voted against one of the amendments, but voted for the actual bill.
“This is exactly the kind of nonsense that people are really frustrated with,” Dillon said. “It erodes confidence in legislators of both parties and I think it’s a real unfortunate distraction at a time when we’ve got high unemployment and we need to figure out a way to get people back to work.”
State law directs panels to rule on whether the language in the recall petition language is clear, not on whether the claims are true.
Dillon says he’ll appeal the panel’s decision in court this week. “We don’t believe that the intent of the statute ever was to allow people to submit language that is knowingly false," Dillon said.
Dillon is one of three Democrats in the Michigan legislature facing recall efforts. The Michigan Republican Party is backing those campaigns.
The Associate Press reported earlier this month:
Democrats say the petition language targeting Reps. Lisa Brown of West Bloomfield and Jim Townsend of Royal Oak is the first approved against Democrats serving in the Michigan Legislature this year. Recall petition wording against more than 20 Republican lawmakers was approved earlier this year. Recall supporters are required to collect thousands of voter signatures to make the ballot after language has been approved as clear. A recall targeting Republican Rep. Paul Scott of Grand Blanc is the only one to advance that far, with the election scheduled for November.
The Michigan Education Association is behind several recall efforts against Republican lawmakers.
