Michigan: Judge throws out petitions against two Traverse School Board members over grace period question

The recall effort against Traverse City School Board Treasurer Matt Anderson and Secretary Pamela G. Forton has been thrown out by a Circuit Court Judge, who ruled that the petitions were taken out too earlier to count. Michigan has a one year grace period stopping recalls in the first and last year of office. Anderson and Forton were elected in 2018 and the petitions were taken out on November 8 (one year from their election). The judge ruled that the one year mark starts on December 31, 2019 and the petitions should not have been allowed.

The recall effort against President M. Sue Kelly is still ongoing, though there is an appeal ongoing there.

The recall is over the resignation by mutual agreement of the superintendent for reasons that are unclear.

Petitioners would need about 11,700 signatures to get on the ballot.

There is a claim that the group would have to pay for the recall -- $80,000. I've seen this provision once (in West Virginia), but never in Michigan. I wonder if that is actually constitutional.