Julia Wimberley doesn’t like what she hears about state Sen. David Jaye - specifically, the allegations that he has hit his fiancée.

But still, the English senior said hearsay doesn’t warrant an elected official’s expulsion from office.

“In this country people are given the benefit of the doubt,” Wimberley said.

“If he were to be tried and convicted in a court of law first, it’d be a different story.”

However, Wimberley’s stance may be in the minority of Michigan citizens.

In a poll of 600 voters statewide, 61 percent said they favor the Washington Township Republican’s expulsion while 25 percent preferred censure, which would allow Jaye to keep his job.

“Basically, people had a pretty definite opinion,” said Ed Sarpolus, vice president of EPIC/MRA, the Lansing-based polling firm that conducted the study last month. “They may have not had an understanding of all the processes, but given the allegations they assume he should be gone.”

Sarpolus said his firm doesn’t plan to conduct another poll on the topic despite domestic charges against Jaye being dropped in Florida last week. He said the portion polled in the senator’s home district of Macomb County showed similar numbers.

A special Senate panel has been investigating Jaye’s alleged “recurring pattern of personal misconduct” for two weeks and is considering a resolution to expel the 13-year veteran of the Legislature.

The resolution cites Jaye’s three drunken driving convictions, a pair of allegations that he hit his fiancée - no charges have been filed - the appearance of topless photographs on his Senate-owned computer and his alleged verbal abuse of Senate staff.

State Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, has predicted the special committee will suggest Jaye be expelled and the Senate will follow that decision.

If the Senate were to expel Jaye, it would require a two-thirds majority - 26 of 38 votes. An expulsion would be an unprecedented move, and only one Michigan state representative has ever been removed from office.

State Sen. Dianne Byrum, an Onondaga Democrat whose district includes East Lansing, refused to comment on the Jaye hearings. Officials in her office said she is waiting for the investigative panel’s report before making any decisions.

Byrum’s stance may be characteristic of state Senate Democrats, whom Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith said have the luxury of “sitting back and watching the proceedings,” given it is not one of their party affiliates on trial.

Smith, D-Salem Township, is part of the committee investigating Jaye. Democrats occupy 15 of the Senate’s seats.

Meanwhile, another local Democrat - while not having a say in whether Jaye leaves office - says if charges are proven true, the senator’s time in the Legislature should be cut short.

“One way or another, I hope that it is resolved quickly,” said state Rep. Gretchen Whitmer, an East Lansing Democrat whose district includes MSU. “I think it has cast a pall on everyone who’s devoted their life to public service.”

Since the hearings began, Jaye has claimed his constitutional rights have been violated. His lawyers have said they weren’t given time to prepare their case, violating their client’s right to due process.

In addition, Jaye, who was first elected to the Senate in a 1997 special election, has said the Senate has violated his right to privacy by keeping a record of his computer files without his knowledge.

State Sen. Thaddeus McCotter, the Livonia Republican who serves as the special panel’s chairman, has said Jaye and his lawyers’ claims are empty because legislative hearings are governed by different rules than judicial trials.

If expelled, Jaye has said he may sue the Senate.

But Dave Sloan, a supply chain management junior, said he feels the Senate investigation is warranted despite Jaye’s claims.

“People, regardless of their position, should be held accountable for what they do,” he said.

Still, there are voters who sympathize with Jaye.

“He was elected by the people,” said East Lansing resident Nathan Leaman, a pre-law sophomore at the University of Michigan. “And the people should have the say with regards to kicking him out of office.”

Matt Treadwell can be reached at treadwe7@msu.edu.