TRAVERSE CITY, MI (MPRN)-- The only Democrat running in Michigan’s First Congressional District has filed suit against the state Board of Canvassers and Secretary of State for not allowing him to appear on the ballot.
Last week the Board disqualified many of the signatures that Matt Morgan submitted on behalf of his campaign, saying the campaign should have listed a street address and not a P.O. Box.
Fred Woodhams is with the Michigan Secretary of State. He said the department is reviewing the suit but the use of a P.O. Box does disqualify signatures.
“That is a longstanding practice and procedure and we believe that we are following the law and that’s why the bureau of elections recommended to the state board of canvassers that Morgan should not be allowed on the ballot,” he said.
Morgan’s campaign argues they submitted the signatures more than a month in advance, but weren’t alerted to problems with the signatures until after the filing deadline had passed.
Woodhams said that is not unusual, either.
“Speaking generally candidate petitions aren’t reviewed until the filing deadline.”
Mark Brewer is an attorney representing Morgan’s campaign. He said the Board of Elections instructions were confusing and ambiguous.
“This is really a technicality. There’s no way that 1500 signers of petitions should be disenfranchised because of a technicality. Matt put an address. He put a P.O. Box which is his campaign address. That should satisfy the law,” he said.
A spokesperson for Morgan’s campaign says if the suit fails he will pursue a write-in campaign.