(WXYZ & ASSOCIATED PRESS) — In the latest move in the GOP ballot signature debacle, Perry Johnson is asking a federal judge to temporarily halt the printing of the Michigan primary ballots.
The lawsuit filed in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan also asks that the signature threshold requirements be lowered or that Johnson’s name be added to the August, 2, 2022 Republican primary ballot.
Johnson along with Michael Markey lost their appeals to the Michigan Supreme Court last week.
The court battles started after the state elections bureau described widespread evidence of fraudulent signatures, names of dead voters and wrong addresses in a May 23 report — a conclusion that rocked the crowded field of GOP candidates vying to challenge Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Five candidates said they were victims of dishonest petition circulators and deserved to be on the ballot. They also complained that the state declared thousands of suspicious signatures invalid although only a portion were actually compared to signatures in the voter registry.
The Board of State Canvassers last week tied, 2-2, on whether to put them on the ballot. A tie meant they were left off, and lawsuits followed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
