Write-in candidate faces uphill battle
MERIDIAN TWP., Mich. (WLNS) — Meridian Township Clerk Deborah Guthrie has cleared one obstacle and found a way to stand for election — she’s running as a write-in candidate.
That move comes after she was disqualified from the ballot Monday for filing “not accurate” paperwork last month. Specifically, she certified, under penalty of felony perjury charges, that she had paid all her campaign fines and fees and filed all her reports as required by law.
She owed $175 in late filing fees. But state and local elections officials determine that while her name can’t appear as a Democratic candidate for the Clerk post on the Aug. 6 primary ballot she can ask voters to write her name on the ballot and vote for her.
“I can run as a writing candidate in the August primary,” Guthrie tells 6 News. “So, that is the only way my name can appear on the ballot is if voters write my name into the write-in section. So that’s what I’m hoping to do. “
It’s called a “write-in” candidacy and Guthrie formally filed paperwork to run such a campaign Thursday. But she and a local political consultant say she’s facing an uphill battle to prevail as a write-in candidate.
Conducting a write-in campaign requires time and resources. For voters to know a candidate is seeking office, voters usually find out when they look at the ballot. But being prevented from the ballot means she has to make contact with thousands of primary voters. That will happen by mail, phone, and in-person campaigning.
Mark Grebner is a political consultant and an Ingham County Commissioner. He’s been working in state and local politics for over 50 years. He says if no one files to run in the Democratic primary for Clerk, she has a chance of winning.
“The problem will only be if she has an actual opponent on the ballot, in which case I’d bet on the opponent almost no matter who it is,” Grebner tells 6 News.
He says history shows a write-in candidate facing a name printed on the ballot will find it nearly impossible to garner enough votes to prevail.
“The write-in candidate will get 5% of the vote if they work really hard, maybe 7, maybe 10,” he says. “If they work really hard. And so just like that, Deb Guthrie is going to be a former Township clerk.” Guthrie tells 6 News she is aware of the uphill battle she is facing.
“If somebody is to file between now and April 23rd as a Democratic candidate, which somebody can, what would I do then as a write-in candidate? Because the opportunity to win as a write-in candidate is none. Looking at the numbers — and you’ve probably seen numbers of write-ins, I mean, it’s just not feasible.”
Guthrie was elected to a four-year term as Clerk in 2020. She beat incumbent Democratic Clerk Brett Dreyfus to take the seat which pays about $80,000 a year plus benefits. As Clerk, she oversees the Township’s election operations as well as maintains the records for the township.
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