Recall election of Flint Councilwoman Eva Worthing seems ‘very likely’ says County clerk

Flint, MI — Genesee County Clerk Domonique Clemons said that after review of recall petition signatures by both his office and the Flint City Clerk’s office, a recall election seems “very likely” for Flint City Councilwoman Eva Worthing.

Clemons confirmed to Flint Beat that his office received recall petition signatures back from the city clerk’s office on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023 after his office’s initial review.

Of the 664 signatures his office originally verified under its requirements, the Flint City Clerk’s office returned 545 as valid after further review of voter registration records, he said.

“Right now we’ve got 545 approved signatures out of the 510 needed [to trigger a recall election],” Clemons told Flint Beat on Nov. 29. “The state review could change that, but my prediction is that it’s not going to change for more than a handful. So, we think it’s very likely at this time there will be a recall.”

Clemons noted that his office had sent the returned signatures on to the state for further review because of a change in ward boundaries between the last city council election and now. He said that could mean some of the recall petition signatures aren’t valid because the associated signer needs to have resided in Worthing’s ward (Ward 9) at the time of her election.

“We’re just waiting for the official review from the clerk’s office in the State Bureau of Elections,” Clemons said of when he will make an official announcement on the recall. He added that he expected that office’s response within the next day or so.

The recall petition filed against Worthing cites the councilwoman’s absence from a special city council meeting called on May 20, 2023.

Worthing could not be reached for comment by press time.