A Democratic challenger to U.S. Congressman
John Conyers is contesting the signatures gathered by two circulators because
they may not have been registered to vote at the time they circulated the
petitions. The Wayne County Clerk’s Office ruled that 1,193 of the 2,000
signatures filed by the Congressman were valid. If the 300 signatures currently
being contested are ruled invalid, Congressman Conyers would be knocked off the
ballot.
WDIV-TV, the NBC affiliate in Detroit,
reported Tuesday that Wayne County staff performed a routine check of the
petition circulators’ names in the Qualified Voter File, and in doing so found
that the two names did not show up in the database. The next day it was
revealed that the names did show up and were shown as having registered in
December prior to circulating petitions. However, Wayne County Election
Director Delphine Oden said the challenges remain unresolved. The clerk’s office
has asked Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey to review the situation as part of
the challenge process.
Depending on the ruling, whoever loses the
challenge can appeal to the courts or the Bureau of Elections. Both sides have
retained some of the state’s top elections lawyers, with Congressman Conyers
hiring John Pirich, and Mr. Sheffield hiring Eric Doster. Most see this
situation headed toward the courts. The deadline for Secretary of State Ruth
Johnson to certify the ballot is June 6th.