Petition errors, fraud could keep 18 Michigan candidates off the ballot, state says

Candidates for governor, Congress and judicial positions in Michigan are required to collect signatures to qualify for the ballot – but the state is recommending 18 of those candidates seeking office in 2022 be disqualified from the ballot because of invalid signatures.

This list includes five governor candidates, four candidates for Congress and nine judicial candidates. Broken down by party, there are eight Republicans, one Democrat and nine nonpartisan candidates.

The Michigan Bureau of Elections reviewed petition signatures and determined which were valid and invalid. But, ultimately, it’s up to the Board of State Canvassers to rule on who will make the ballot at its upcoming Thursday, May 26, meeting.

Michigan’s primary election is Aug. 2, and the general election is Nov. 8.

Here is the list of candidates the Bureau of Elections recommends be disqualified from the ballot, grouped by office sought.

Governor

Perry Johnson: 13,800 valid signatures, 9,393 invalid signatures (needed 15,000, Republican)
James Craig: 10,192 valid signatures, 11,113 invalid signatures (needed 15,000, Republican)
Michael Brown: 7,091 valid signatures, 13,809 invalid signatures (needed 15,000, Republican)
Michael Markey Jr.: 4,430 valid signatures, 17,374 invalid signatures (needed 15,000, Republican)
Donna Brandenburg: 6,634 valid signatures, 11,144 invalid signatures (needed 15,000, Republican)

Congress

Gabriella Manolache: 966 valid signatures, 276 invalid signatures (needed 1,000, 3rd District Congress, Grandville, Republican)
Joseph Alfonso: 959 valid signatures, 68 invalid signatures (needed 1,000, 4th District Congress, Holland, Democrat)
Elizabeth Ferszt: 868 valid signatures, 477 invalid signatures (needed 1,000, 5th District Congress, Jackson, Republican)
Jake Hagg: 948 valid signatures, 476 invalid signatures (needed 1,000, 7th District Congress, Holt, Republican)

Judicial candidates

Christine Beecher: 551 valid signatures, 69 invalid signatures (needed 600, 12th District Judge)
George Lyons: 555 valid signatures, 186 invalid signatures (needed 600, 12th District Judge)
Michael Tinney: Zero valid signatures, 298 invalid signatures (needed 200, 23rd District Judge)
Mark Koroi: 573 valid signatures, 43 invalid signatures (needed 600, 37th District Judge)
Philip Cavanagh: 3,816 valid signatures, 1,532 invalid signatures (needed 4,000, 3rd Circuit Judge)
John Michael Malone: 1,348 valid signatures, 5,599 invalid signatures (needed 4,000, 3rd Circuit Judge)
Chastity Youngblood: 1,652 valid signatures, 3,978 invalid signatures (needed 4,000, 3rd Circuit Judge)
Tricia Dare: 3,175 valid signatures, 4,092 invalid signatures (needed 4,000, 6th Circuit Judge)
Angelique Camfield: 922 valid signatures, 93 invalid signatures (needed 1,000, 9th Circuit Judge)

The bureau also released staff reports for 13 other candidates whose signatures were challenged, but the bureau found they had enough signatures to qualify for the ballot:

Tom Barrett: 1,434 valid signatures, 46 invalid signatures (needed 1,000, 7th District Congress, Republican)
Paul Junge: 1,435 valid signatures, 89 invalid signatures (needed 1,000, 8th District Congress, Republican)
Shanelle Jackson: 1,369 valid signatures, 513 invalid signatures (needed 1,000, 12th District Congress, Democrat)
Craig Pappin: 680 valid signatures, 174 invalid signatures (needed 600, 12th District Judge)
Stuart Collis: 807 valid signatures, 10 invalid signatures (needed 600, 14A District Judge)
Brenda Richard: 109 valid signatures, two invalid signatures (needed 100, 45th District Judge)
Brian Jackson: 844 valid signatures, 54 invalid signatures (needed 600, 54A District Judge)
Shakira Hawkins: 5,407 valid signatures, 530 invalid signatures (needed 4,000, 3rd Circuit Judge)
Anne Marie McCarthy: 5,267 valid signatures, 620 invalid signatures (needed 4,000, 3rd Circuit Judge)
Regina Triplett: 5,237 valid signatures, 461 invalid signatures (needed 4,000, 3rd Circuit Judge)
Charise Anderson: 5,462 valid signatures, 122 invalid signatures (needed 4,000, 3rd Circuit Judge)
Amanda Shelton: 5,308 valid signatures, 55 invalid signatures (needed 4,000, 6th Circuit Judge)
Christopher Wickman: 1,106 valid signatures, 82 invalid signatures (needed 1,000, 30th Circuit Judge)

Some positions on the ballot don’t require signatures. For example, people running for the state legislature only have to submit a $100 filing fee.

There are many reasons a signature could be deemed invalid. One example is for petition errors, like a lack of a date, incorrect jurisdiction, the wrong address of a signee, issues in the heading or if the circulator didn’t sign the petition.

But fraud was also a big problem among many of the petitions, the Bureau of Elections found. The state identified 36 petition circulators who helped gather names for at least 10 petition drives. These 36 people submitted a combined 68,000 signatures the state believes are faulty.

What tipped them off? Unusual patterns on the petitions, like:

An abnormal number of petition sheets where every line was filled with a signature
An abnormal number of sheets that showed no wear and tear, which normally happens when circulating a petition (folding, scuffing, minor damage from rain, marks from clipboards, etc.)
Sheets that look to be “round-tabled,” a practice where a group passes around sheets with each person signing one line per sheet with handwriting different from the circulator’s handwriting, in an attempt to make signatures appear authentic and from actual voters
Sheets where handwriting of certain letters was identical for all of the names and signatures listed
An abnormal number of names from people who died months or years before they allegedly signed the petition
Signatures that did not match peoples’ signatures in the state’s Qualified Voter File

The state is referring incidents of apparent fraud to law enforcement for criminal investigation. The bureau does not believe any specific candidates or campaigns were aware of the fraudulent activities from the circulators, it said in the report.

The bureau recommends candidates and campaigns implement a “quality control process” in the future before submitting petitions.

To read the full staff report on nominating petitions, click here.

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