U.S. Representative Thad McCotter was ousted from the August 7th ballot by the state Board of Canvassers by unanimous vote last Wednesday, after the Secretary of State found 244 of 1,800 petition signatures were valid.

The discovery was first made in late May, when the state Bureau of Elections announced the 10-year veteran to the U.S. House didn’t meet the 1,000 signature requirement to be placed on the GOP primary ballot.

While the GOP primary would have been a simple formality for the Livonia Republican, The Detroit Free Press notes that he fell victim to an incredibly sloppy re-election campaign, which only gathered 244 valid signatures.

The Bureau of Elections noticed in May that McCotter’s campaign turned in hundreds of faked, photo-copied signatures, apparently hoping that the Bureau would pass them off, considering the Representative’s 10-year-long tenure in Washington.

Unfortunately, they found out that even already-elected officials must follow all of the rules. Interlochen Public Radio reports that Chris Thomas, the state elections director, says the Board of State Canvassers agreed with the agency’s finding, saying:

“They’ve endorsed that by passing a motion finding that Congressman McCotter filed insufficient petitions and will not appear on the ballot.”

Even worse for the election campaign, McCotter’s petitions will be turned over to the state attorney general’s office, in order to begin a criminal fraud investigation. The Detroit Free Press notes that the invalid signatures were copied, sometimes two or three times, and some petitions had dates that were cut and pasted onto the forms.

The Detroit Free Press also notes that McCotter was not the only candidate to be cut from the ballot for insufficient signatures. The state Board of Canvassers also kept the following candidates off of the August 7th ballot: U.S. Senate candidate Peter Konetchy, a Roscommon Republican; 7th Congressional District candidate Michael Stahly, a Potterville Republican, and 8th Congressional District candidate Michael Magdich, a Democrat from Whitmore Lake.

What do you think of the state Board of Canvassers’ decision to exclude U.S. Representative Thad McCotter from the Michigan primary ballot?

Thad McCotter Officially Booted From Michigan Ballot is a post from: The Inquisitr

Michigan Congressman Thad McCotter, who would have been a shoo-in for reelection in November, reportedly failed to turn in enough valid signatures to qualify for the August 7 primary.

It would appear that McCotter, a Republican who has represented Michigan’s 11th Congressional district for the past 10 years, was  done in by grossly incompetent staff work.

According to the Michigan Live website, election officials reviewed “2,000 signatures submitted by the McCotter campaign and determined fewer than 1,000 were valid.”

Michigan law requires each congressional candidate to submit 1,000 valid signatures by May 15 to make the primary ballot. The GOP primary would have been a mere formality for McCotter.

A formal decision by state election officials is expected in early June, but it sounds like it’s a foregone conclusion.

McCotter’s office said  that his campaign would “review our petition signatures for their sufficiency or insufficiency,” and respect “the accuracy and integrity of the Secretary of State’s office,” according to CNN.

McCotter’s statement also declares that “out of respect for Memorial Day, an announcement of our findings will be made public on Tuesday.”

Michigan Live indicates that Thad McCotter could run as a write-in candidate, with some strings attached:

But he would need to win more votes than the other Republican who filed to run and also get a minimum threshold of votes –  5 percent of all votes cast in the “top-of-ticket” race in the district, most likely the U.S. Senate primary for Debbie Stabenow’s seat.

One other Republican, Kerry Bentivolio,  and two Democrats, qualified for the primary.

McCotter, who briefly ran for president this year, is known for his dry sense of humor particularly in his appearances on FNC’s Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld. Given the petition fail, McCotter will really need a good sense of humor in this mess.

Thad McCotter may also now have more time to play guitar in his rock band, the Second Amendments.

Congressman Thad McCotter Primary Fail: Not Enough Valid Signatures To Get On Ballot is a post from: The Inquisitr