Michigan’s elections panel cleared the way for a recall effort targeting state Rep. Peter Herzberg, a Democrat from Westland, for his vote against a Republican plan to lower the state’s income tax rate.
The Board of State Canvassers unanimously agreed July 18 that the the petition provided a factual and sufficiently clear reason for the recall effort, enabling the petition’s sponsor — Keith Butkovich — to begin collecting signatures asking voters in Herzberg’s district to weigh whether to keep their current state representative or replace their representative with a challenger. Under Michigan election law, Herzberg has a 10-day window following the board’s vote to appeal the determination.
To hold a recall election requires signatures from voters in the district equal to at least 25% of the number of votes cast in the district in the most recent gubernatorial election held in 2022. Signatures must be collected within a 60-day window.
Herzberg represents the 25th District in the Michigan House of Representatives, which encompasses the city of Wayne along with parts of Canton, Dearborn Heights and Westland. He was first elected to the Michigan House in a special election held in April 2024 and was reelected in November 2024.
During a March 18 House vote on a Republican bill to lower Michigan’s income tax rate from 4.25% to 4.05%, Herzberg joined most of his Democratic colleagues to oppose the legislation. The Democrat-led Michigan Senate has not taken up the proposal.
State Rep. Peter Herzberg, D-Westland.
Herzberg did not immediately respond to a voice message left by the Detroit Free Press to comment on the recall effort.
Efforts to recall lawmakers have struggled to go from a mere threat to an actual vote in recent years. The year 2011 marked the last time a sitting lawmaker was successfully recalled.
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The latest recall effort — inspired by Herzberg’s vote to preserve the state’s current income tax rate — mirrors previous recall efforts over Democratic lawmakers’ tax positions. In 1983, recall elections spurred by a tax revolt marked a historic vote in Michigan with state Sen. Phil Mastin, D-Pontiac, becoming the first state official in Michigan to be kicked out of office in a recall election. State Sen. David Serotkin, D-Macomb Township, soon met the same fate in his recall election the following week. The recall campaigns were led by those who fiercely opposed the Democratic lawmakers’ support for a personal income tax hike proposed by then-Gov. James Blanchard.
Serotkin resigned before the state’s canvassing board certified the results of the recall election. But then-Attorney General Frank Kelley determined that Serotkin could not run for his seat again despite the preemptive resignation. Democrats lost their majority in the state Senate and closed out the year with an even partisan split in the chamber before Republicans took control.
Any successful recall election to oust Herzberg wouldn’t be expected to have a similar impact on the partisan composition of the Michigan House since he represents a safely Democratic district.
Contact Clara Hendrickson: chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Democratic state representative faces recall effort