Viola Klocko
Once regarded as the GOP frontrunner, former Detroit Police Chief James Craig could be knocked off the ballot due to fraudulent signatures.
Michigan election officials identified an unprecedented level of fraud in signatures gathered for candidates to get their names on the August primary ballot, which could result in at least eight candidates getting knocked off the ballot.
The Michigan Bureau of Elections found 36 petition circulators “who submitted fraudulent petition sheets entirely of invalid signatures,” according to a report issued by the agency on Monday. The bureau estimates that at least 68,000 signatures collected for 10 candidates are invalid.
“Although it is typical for staff to encounter some signatures of dubious authenticity scattered within nominating petitions, the Bureau is unaware of another election cycle in which this many circulators submitted such a substantial volume of fraudulent petition sheets consisting of invalid signatures, nor an instance in which it affected as many candidate petitions as at present,” the bureau wrote in the report.
As a result, the bureau concluded that five of the 10 Republican gubernatorial candidates — former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, businessman Perry Johnson, financial adviser Michael Jay Markey, Michigan State Police Capt. Michael Brown, and entrepreneur Donna Brandenburg — failed to collect enough valid petitions to appear on the ballot because they submitted fraudulent signatures.
Tudor Dixon, a Republican who is also running for governor, used two of the fraudulent circulators but still had enough valid signatures, the bureau concluded.
The same circulators who are accused of forging signatures also were used for three candidates running for judge.
The bureau concluded that more than half of the signatures filed by Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Tricia Dare, who is running for a seat on the Oakland County Circuit Court, were invalid, making her ineligible for the ballot.
John Michael Malone, a candidate for 3rd Circuit Court, also failed to submit enough signatures on the ballot because more than 5,500 of the signatures came from the allegedly fraudulent circulators.
Philip Cavanagh, who is also running for 3rd Circuit Court, submitted 1,125 signatures from the fraudulent circulators, making him ineligible, the bureau said.
Chastity Youngblood, a candidate for 3rd Circuit Court, turned in more than 3,900 signatures that were “dubious,” but she did not use the same circulators. The bureau said she failed to file a sufficient number of signatures to appear on the ballot.
The circulators were used almost exclusively by conservative candidates. Democrats have been suspicious of the circulators for years and scoured the signatures this year for signs of fraud.
“I have never seen such evidence of forgery and fraud in a petition drive in the nearly 40 years I have been practicing election law in Michigan,” attorney Mark Brewer, who filed the challenge against Craig’s signatures, said last month.
The Michigan Board of Canvassers meets Thursday to decide whether to remove the candidates from the ballot.
It’s a crime to submit forged signatures. The Bureau of Elections said it’s “working with the Michigan Department of State’s Office of Investigative Services to refer incidents of apparent fraud to law enforcement for criminal investigation.”
The Michigan Democratic Party is calling on the gubernatorial candidates who submitted fraudulent signatures to withdraw from the race.
“All of the candidates who submitted fraudulent signatures — including James Craig, Perry Johnson, and Tudor Dixon — should do the right thing and immediately withdraw from the race, MDP Chair Lavora Barnes said in a statement. “Their refusal to adhere to Michigan election law is disqualifying. If they refuse to withdraw, the Board of Canvassers should examine these significant, disqualifying issues thoroughly and make a decision that upholds the integrity of Michigan’s electoral process by refusing to certify these candidates.”
The following circulators gathered signatures for at least 10 campaigns and are accused of fraud: Davon Best, Siarra Bergami, Antonio Braxton, Brianna Briggs, Charles Calvin, Nicholas Carlton, Jaylynn Casey, DeShawn Evans, Jehvon Evans, Justin Garland, Corey Hampton, Jonell Hampton, LeVaughn Hearn, Briana Heron, Aaliyah Ingram, Danyil Lancaster, Teddrick Lee, Niccolo Mastromatteo, Indira Radcliffe, Aaliyah Render, Priya Render, Indira Roopchard, Giovannee Smith, Tremari Smith, Ryan Snowden, Stephen Tinnin, Freddie Toliver, Diallo Vaughn, Yazmine Vasser, and William Williams.
Progress Michigan, a progressive nonprofit, said that Republicans’ reliance on fraudsters smacks of hypocrisy.
“For all the Michigan GOP’s feigned outrage over ‘election integrity,’ several of their candidates seem very comfortable with using shady, underhanded tactics to get on the ballot,” Progress Michigan Executive Director Lonnie Scott said in a statement. “It looks like the Republican clown car may be losing a few occupants, including the self-proclaimed quality guru who apparently didn’t check the quality of his own signatures and the former police Chief who seems to have brought corruption with him from his days at DPD. I hope the Michigan Republican Party will live up to their big talk about integrity, respect our election laws and hold their own accountable when the Board of Canvassers meet this week.”
On Tuesday, Brown announced his campaign decided to immediately withdraw from the Governor’s race, issuing the following statement:
It appears that after my campaign's signature gathering was complete, individuals independently contracted for a portion of our signature gathering and validation jumped onto other campaigns and went on a money grab. They were involved in allegedly fraudulent signature gathering activities with these campaigns causing the Michigan Bureau of Elections to declare all of the signatures connected to those individuals as invalid.
I cannot and will not be associated with this activity.
We built this campaign on common sense conservative principles with a positive message of prosperity, safety, and respect for all the citizens of Michigan. The countless hours, miles, conversations, and tireless effort will not be in vain as I continue to fight for the future of Michigan.
I have made many tough decisions for the right reasons over my life. This is a painful but necessary decision I make decisively because that’s what the citizens deserve. During my years in the Marine Corps and 34 years in the Michigan State Police each assignment has been about serving the citizens. I will exit the race for Michigan's Governor with my integrity and this principle intact.
Thank you Michigan.
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