State canvassers find three of four recall petitions against Antrim County clerk sufficiently clear

The Michigan Board of State Canvassers voted on Sept. 25 to find that three of four recall petitions filed by Ashley Arita against Antrim County Clerk Victoria Bishop were "factual and sufficiently clear," allowing those petitions to move forward in the recall process. One petition failed to meet the board's clarity standard during the meeting.

Petitioners had asked the board to assess whether petition language clearly identified specific actions, dates and affected voter records. Director Brader read the petitions aloud, noting each references changes to voter-status codes in the Qualified Voter File (QVF) on the dates Jan. 9, Jan. 13, Jan. 23, Jan. 27, Jan. 29 and April 16, 2026. Petitioner Ashley Arita told the board: "At the center of all four petitions are 6 voter records, 6 dates, 1 township, and one resulting status, cancel." The board said its role was to judge clarity, not to determine whether the underlying conduct was legally authorized.

Board members discussed the formulations and wording differences among the four petitions. Member Cummings said, "The ones that are the most clear to me are the 2nd and the 4th," and after motions and seconds the board recorded approvals for petitions 1, 2 and 4. Petition 3 drew one 'nay' during the roll call and failed to pass at the hearing.

The determinations were procedural: the board concluded the language in the three approved petitions is sufficiently precise to be circulated or otherwise progress in the recall process; any underlying factual disputes will be resolved later in the recall or related proceedings. The board did not impose any penalty or make findings on whether the changes to the QVF were authorized.