Disqualified Meridian Township Clerk files as write-in candidate

MERIDIAN TWP., Mich. (WLNS) — Meridian Township Clerk Deborah Guthrie’s name will not appear on the August primary ballot, but she’s launched a write-in campaign to be re-elected to the post.

Guthrie was disqualified from appearing on the August primary ballot Monday by her own election supervisor and deputy township clerk for filing paperwork for office that was “not accurate.” Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum accepted that disqualification.

But Byrum also acknowledged that Michigan Secretary of State Bureau of Elections guidance on disqualifications from the ballot allows candidates to file to run write-in campaigns.

“Because, according to being disqualified, my name cannot appear on the ballot but I can run as a write-in candidate in the August primary,” Guthrie tells 6 News exclusively. “So, that is the only way my name can appear on the ballot is if voters write my name into the write-in section. So that’s what I’m hoping to do.”

Guthrie acknowledges conducting a write-in campaign is a laborious project. The candidate and volunteers have to get voters to either write the candidate’s name on the ballot or affix a sticker with the candidate’s name on the ballot. That requires dramatic outreach and contact with voters.

In addition, in a partisan primary election — which Guthrie will be participating in — there are minimum numbers of votes that have to be obtained for the write-in candidacy to be successful.

Guthrie is a Democrat and will be participating in the Democratic primary for Clerk. The township residents elect a clerk every four years and that person serves as one of two full-time elected positions in the township. The other elected full-time position is that of treasurer.

Guthrie makes about $80,000 a year plus benefits. As Clerk, she is responsible for overseeing all election activity in the township as well as maintaining the township’s records.

As 6 News reported Tuesday, Byrum says Guthrie, in filing for re-election to the four-year term as township clerk, had filed an Affidavit of Identity that was “not accurate.”

Guthrie Byrum Communications 1Download

Guthrie Byrum Communications 2Download

Affidavits of Identity are filed by every person seeking an elective office in Michigan. The documents attest to compliance with the Michigan Campaign Finance Act, including having filed all necessary reports and paid any fees or fines.

The affidavit also certifies the individual is a citizen of the United States and constitutionally qualified for the office sought. Each affidavit is signed under the threat of a felony perjury charge.

Documents provided by Byrum show Guthrie owed fees related to campaign finance reporting requirements to the tune of $175 as of Feb. 5, 2024. As of March 14, 2024, Guthrie’s campaign fines and fees were “not in compliance” with the Michigan Campaign Finance Act.

“It is my opinion, as well as the Bureau of Elections’ guidance, that this candidate should be disqualified as a result of the unpaid late filing fees and the false statement on the Affidavit of Identity,” Byrum wrote in a March 14, 2024 letter to Guthrie. “There is no remedy for this error.”

The key issue is the following certification she signed, “I certify that at this date, all statements, reports, late filing fees, and fines due from me or any candidate committee organized to support my election under the Michigan Campaign Finance Act have been filed or paid.”

Guthrie tells 6 News she misunderstood a clause in the affidavit. She argues the use of the words “or paid,” separated the payment of fines and fees from reports. Instead, she says the word “or” is supposed to be read as an “and.”

Documents obtained by 6 News show Meridian Township paid Township lawyers over $5,000 to review the clerk’s determination and advise Deputy Clerk and Elections Supervisor Emily Gordon on what steps to take regarding the potential disqualification.

Gordon notified Byrum on Monday that she was acting to disqualify Guthrie based in part on legal advice from township attorneys.

Guthrie, who was first elected to the office in November of 2020 after beating the incumbent clerk in the Democratic primary, also spent more than 8 years as Meridian Township’s Communication Director between 2011 and 2019, according to her LinkedIn page.

Ingham County records show that as of April 11, no one else has filed as a candidate for the job. The filing deadline is April 23 at 4 p.m.

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