The Minnesota Republican Party is following through on a promise to recall House DFL lawmakers who did not show up for the first three weeks of the legislative session.

DFL members said they stayed away from the House chambers to prevent a quorum. They called for Republicans to share leadership, with the House expected to be tied 67 to 67 again after an upcoming special election.

The boycott ended last week when a power-sharing agreement was reached.

“When they don’t show up for work and they’re playing a game, there has to be consequences for that,” said Alex Plechash, the Minnesota Republican Party chair. “Normally, you’d fire those people in the civilian world.”

Cassondra Knudson, a spokeswoman for the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office, confirmed on Friday that 10 recall petitions had been filed so far this week — including one against a Republican lawmaker.

Petitions against Rep. Melissa Hortman, Rep. Brion Curran, Rep. Kristin Bahner, Rep. Lucy Rehm, Rep. Julie Greene, Rep. Steve Elkins were reviewed, met the requirements under state statute and were forwarded to the courts. The Secretary of State’s office is still reviewing petitions against Rep. Matt Norris, Rep. Brad Tabke, Rep. Dan Wolgamott, Knudson said.

The Minnesota Republican Party said it started as a grassroots effort, which gained momentum. Signature collection is underway in dozens of other House districts.

“I believe that we have 40 districts already that have more than enough signatures,” said Plechash. “The remaining, we’ll get those signatures, so ultimately, we’re going to file recall for all of them.”

Plechash said signature collection is underway in dozens of other House districts.

“If you rob a bank and return the money, you still robbed the bank. That’s exactly what the DFL did to taxpayers—collecting over $300,000 in pay while refusing to show up for work,” Plechash said in a statement. “They abandoned their constitutional duties, shut down the legislative process, and denied representation to millions of Minnesotans. There must be consequences.”

A House DFL spokesperson sent the following statement to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS:

“Republicans have filed frivolous recall petitions before that have been dismissed, and we are confident these frivolous recall petitions will be dismissed as well. Democrats have been doing our jobs fully every single day, and there is no basis for a recall.”

Under state law, recall petitions can be brought against elected officials in cases of malfeasance, nonfeasance or serious crime.

Malfeasance is defined as “intentionally doing something unlawful or wrong while performing duties of the office”; nonfeasance is “intentionally and repeatedly not performing required duties of the office”; and “serious crime” refers to a range of misdemeanors including assault, aggravated driving while intoxicated, and stalking. A felony conviction results in automatic expulsion.

The recall process is lengthy and expensive.

According to the Minnesota House website, a recall petition must be signed by 25 voters in an elected official’s district before it can be reviewed by the Secretary of State, which then determines if it’s valid and should go to the Minnesota Supreme Court for additional review. The Court appoints a special master to conduct further review, including a public hearing.

The Court then reviews the special master’s findings. If grounds for a recall are met, the Secretary of State issues a new petition, which must be signed by at least 25% of the number of voters who voted for that office in the last election. If that is successful, the governor sets an election date.

“We may not go to recall for all 66 at the very end, we may just focus on very few but we’re going to call them to task all the way to the end,” said Plechash, who expects this could be a 10-month process.

While Republicans threaten recalls over claims of nonfeasance, Democrats have said they could bring recall petitions of their own over malfeasance, as was the case with Rep. Quam.

Voters who filed the recall petition against Quam say he committed malfeasance by “conducting business and voting on legislation at the Capitol during period of no quorum.”

Quam told KAAL-TV earlier this week he was surprised to learn of the recall petition and said he was doing the work he was elected to do.