Who is it again who is trying to steal elections with fraudulent behavior?
Probe of Signatures Roils Michigan Race
BY KRIS MAHER
Five Republican contenders for governor in Michigan could be disqualified after a state elections bureau said it found tens of thousands of forged signatures gathered by petition circulators.
The Michigan Bureau of Elections said late Monday that it found 68,000 invalid signatures on petitions across 10 Republican campaigns, leaving five campaigns short of the needed 15,000 signatures to qualify for the August primary. The winner of the primary will face Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in November.
The bureau of elections’ findings threatened to scramble the primary, because two of the leading contenders were among those without enough valid signatures: James Craig, a former Detroit police chief, and Perry Johnson, a Bloom-field Hills businessman. John Yob, a consultant for Mr. Johnson, said he thought the bureau didn’t have the right to void every signature collected by the alleged forgers. He said the campaign could pursue legal action if necessary. Mr. Johnson said it was clear to him that the petition process needed to be overhauled and made more secure. The bureau found that his campaign turned in 13,800 valid signatures and 9,393 that were invalid.
Mr. Craig’s campaign submitted 10,192 signatures that were valid, and 11,113 were invalid, according to the bureau. His campaign couldn’t immediately be reached to comment. Ron Weiser, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, alleged that Democrats in the state were trying to disqualify GOP candidates. “Democrats claim to be champions of democracy but are actively angling behind the scenes to disqualify their opponents in an unprecedented way because they want to take away choice from Michigan voters after years of terrible policies,” he said.
The bureau said in its report that it didn’t have reason to believe at this point that candidates or campaigns were aware of the fraudulent petition circulators. Elections-bureau staff identified 36 petition circulators hired by campaigns who submitted fraudulent petition sheets that consisted of entirely invalid signatures, the bureau said. Among the indicators of fraud were nearly identical handwriting on petition sheets and a practice known as “round tabling,” in which a petition is passed around in a circle to make it appear as though the signatures are from actual voters.
The bureau said that it will be up to Michigan’s Board of State Canvassers to determine whether the candidates have enough valid signatures to qualify to be on the ballot. The four-member board, with two Republican and two Democratic members, could make a determination at a scheduled hearing on Thursday. The other candidates whose signatures fell short are Michael Brown, a state police captain, Michael Markey, a financial adviser, and Donna Brandenburg, a businesswoman.
Mr. Brown said Tuesday he was withdrawing from the race after the alleged fraudulent signature gathering came to light. “I cannot and will not be associated with this activity,” he said. Representatives for Mr. Markey’s and Ms. Brandenburg’s campaigns couldn’t be reached to comment.
Five Republican contenders for governor could be disqualified.
