Yesterday, the Bureau of Elections recommended that James Craig and Perry Johnson be struck from the August primary ballot following serious challenges made against their nominating petitions.
Today, MDP is releasing sworn declarations from three additional voters who signed affidavits indicating they never signed the petitions their names appeared on for James Craig and Perry Johnson.
Nancy, Novi: “As a retired teacher, the role of building the next generation of Michiganders is one I took very seriously. I’d always stress to my students the importance of holding themselves accountable. So to find out that my name was on a petition for Perry Johnson – who I have only interacted with through the barrage of ads on my TV screen – was very shocking. I was in Florida on vacation at the time, so I know whoever signed that petition claiming to be me wasn’t me. This isn’t the kind of leadership Michiganders deserve.”
Vivian, Grand Blanc: “I am one of the fraudulent signatures on James Craig’s petitions. I wasn’t even within Michigan’s borders on the day my name was forged. Out of the many Republicans running for governor, I’m surprised Detroit’s former top cop has committed the most blatant violation of election law.”
Keith, Detroit: “It was very disturbing to see a signature claiming it was from me that wasn’t in my handwriting, knowing it was used to support the candidacy of James Craig, or any other Republican for that matter. There is no such thing as justified forgery, so I don’t understand why my own former police chief defrauded me.”
Keeana, Waterford Township: “I work far too closely with members of underserved communities to ever sign a petition furthering the candidacy of someone who has aligned themself with the party that leaves these groups behind every chance they get. I did not sign James Craig’s petition because I don’t want him to be governor.”
Alleged violations for both Republican gubernatorial candidates include using the signatures of “verifiably” deceased voters and a bulk forging operation in which circulators “fak[ed] signatures across multiple petition sheets using a list of real voters…in an attempt to fake authenticity.” Craig alone racked up “nearly 7,000” forgeries in this “round-robin” scheme, impacting real Michiganders.
MDP Chair Lavora Barnes issued the following statement:
“Many Michiganders may never know they were exploited by James Craig and Perry Johnson, who tried to get onto the ballot using the forged signatures of thousands of voters. Not only are these Republicans accused of committing forgery on a mass scale, they also robbed voters of their voice and democratic agency to genuinely support the candidates of their choosing. They abused a core pillar of the very government they’re running to lead. It’s unacceptable and disqualifying.”
