SAVED BY THE BELL

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer can thank lawmakers from 2012 for escaping any recall vote this fall. The legislature at the time tightened up the recall requirements, shortening the petition time frame from 90 days to 60 days to get sufficient signatures (1,062,647) on a recall petition. Meanwhile, a governor cannot be recalled in the first year or last year of a four-year term, which for Whitmer would be 2022. The deadline to get a recall on the November 2021 ballot is July 30 of this year, so it’s highly unlikely that any group will clear that hurdle, despite the Michigan Court of Appeal’s ruling on May 28 of this year that six recall petitions could proceed. There were a total of 20 recall petition attempts involving Whitmer last year, many by the same several persons who kept refiling after their petitions were rejected by the Michigan Board of State Canvassers.