Democrats raise alarm on ‘potential fraud’ in petitions

Kate Holloway
·3 min read
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LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Michigan Democrats have submitted a request for an investigation to the Michigan Board of State Canvassers.

The request, submitted by the Michigan Democratic Party, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Michigan voter Emily Judd, points to “at least five indications of fraudulent signatures” on Republican Senate candidates’ nominating petitions.

Charges filed year after phony signatures roiled Michigan race for governor

The document says it intends “to call the Board’s attention to potential fraud in the nominating petitions of” Republican U.S. Senate candidates Mike Rogers, Sandy Pensler, Justin Amash and Peter Meijer.

In a news release, MDP said the indications of fraud had been discovered “in only a limited review,” and had demonstrated “at least five indications of fraudulent signatures:”

  • Clear, full page circulator fraud with evidence that all lines of the petition were filled out by the same person

  • Voters’ names appearing across multiple candidates’ petitions in different handwriting with errors in addresses and spelling

  • Voters’ names appearing within a single candidate’s petition more than once, in different handwriting with errors in addresses and spelling

  • Evidence of a “round-robin” scheme

  • Visible circulator handwriting and signature mismatches

Request-to-InvestigateDownload

MDP also said in the statement that “circulators who have been accused of engaging in fraudulent signature collection activity in other petition challenges before the Board of State Canvassers also circulated petitions for the Republican Senate candidates.”

In their statement, Democratic Party officials pointed to the 2022 findings of fraudulent signatures on five gubernatorial candidates’ and three judicial candidates’ petitions, saying “there is a well-documented history of significant fraudulent signatures on Republican nominating petitions in Michigan.”

  • Nominating petition sheet for Sandy Pensler, submitted by MDP as an example in the complaint to the Board of Canvassers. (Image/Michigan Democratic Party)
    Nominating petition sheet for Sandy Pensler, submitted by MDP as an example in the complaint to the Board of Canvassers. (Image/Michigan Democratic Party)
  • Nominating petition sheets for Mike Rogers, submitted by MDP as an example in the complaint to the Board of Canvassers. (Image/Michigan Democratic Party)
    Nominating petition sheets for Mike Rogers, submitted by MDP as an example in the complaint to the Board of Canvassers. (Image/Michigan Democratic Party)
  • Nominating petition sheets for Mike Rogers, submitted by MDP as an example in the complaint to the Board of Canvassers. (Image/Michigan Democratic Party)
    Nominating petition sheets for Mike Rogers, submitted by MDP as an example in the complaint to the Board of Canvassers. (Image/Michigan Democratic Party)
  • Nominating petition sheets for Justin Amash and Peter Meijer, submitted by MDP as an example in the complaint to the Board of Canvassers. (Image/Michigan Democratic Party)
    Nominating petition sheets for Justin Amash and Peter Meijer, submitted by MDP as an example in the complaint to the Board of Canvassers. (Image/Michigan Democratic Party)
  • Nominating petition sheets for Mike Rogers and Sandy Pensler, submitted by MDP as an example in the complaint to the Board of Canvassers. (Image/Michigan Democratic Party)
    Nominating petition sheets for Mike Rogers and Sandy Pensler, submitted by MDP as an example in the complaint to the Board of Canvassers. (Image/Michigan Democratic Party)

“The Michigan Democratic Party and the DSCC urge the Board to ensure that apparent fraud is fully investigated before any candidate is certified to appear on the ballot,” officials said.

6 News reached out to Michigan Republican Party officials for a response on Friday but has not heard back yet.

Chris Gustafson is the communications director for Mike Rogers for Senate. He sent 6 News the following statement on behalf of the Rogers’ campaign.

“Elissa Slotkin said she couldn’t win with Joe Biden on the top of the ticket and that she’d never run against Mike Rogers,” he wrote. “So, it’s no surprise her campaign has resorted to the same failed unlawful efforts to subvert democracy that they tried to use against President Trump. This antidemocratic stunt perpetuated by Slotkin’s allies failed and won’t cover for the misery of the Biden-Slotkin agenda has inflicted on Michigan working families.”

This story has been updated to include a statement from the Mike Rogers for Senate campaign.

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