The name of attorney Andrea Banfield, a candidate for the open 44th Livingston County Circuit Court judicial seat, will appear on the primary ballot in August, following the successful defense of her nominating petitions at a hearing before the Michigan Board of Canvassers on May 21.
“This decision is a victory both for the voters and for candidates like me,” said Banfield. ”The ruling should reinforce our collective faith in democracy and the importance of candidates appearing on the ballot.”
Banfield’s petitions had been challenged by Jeremy Scott Gibbs of Howell, the host of the “This Is My Brain” podcast.
“We interview quite a few political candidates on the podcast,” Gibbs said. “My co-hosts and myself do our own research and also receive information from time to time about different races, especially local ones.”
The subject of valid signatures has become more prominent since 2020, Gibbs explained, and he said he’s seen multiple candidates from both parties disqualified because of signature irregularities.
“This judicial race is extremely important to Livingston County and any irregularities, no matter how minor or technical, need to be examined and then challenged,” Gibbs said.
This is the first time Gibbs has personally filed a challenge.
“Banfield was the one that I found irregularities (with) and nobody else had filed a challenge,” he explained. “The deadline was too close so I filed it myself.”
The podcast host said that his “audience … tends to do their own research on candidates and races that we cover.”
“I was actually surprised that nobody else had filed a challenge,” he said.
The complaint was initially reviewed by Michigan Board of Canvassers staff, who found Banfield’s petitions to be sufficient. You can read that decision below.
On May 21, the full Board of Canvassers — a bipartisan board responsible for certifying statewide elections, approving voting systems, and adopting language for statewide ballot initiatives — unanimously agreed that Gibbs’ challenge would have disenfranchised many valid supporters’ signatures. Paul Cordes, a Republican member of the Board of Canvassers, said the decision to reject Gibbs’ challenge was a “no brainer.”
You can see the hearing, which was live-streamed, by clicking here.
Do you enjoy reading about local politics? CLICK HERE to keep Livingston County’s only locally owned and operated independent news and opinion site running.
At the hearing, the Board of Canvassers expressed concern about using a hyper-technical interpretation of the word address.
At issue was the signature of supporters who provided their mailing address rather than the name of the township in which they vote. For example, a voter may live in Genoa Township but have a mailing address of Brighton. Gibbs’ challenge claimed any signatures in which a voter did not provide the voting township should be rejected, despite that the petition forms and manual themselves provide no such instruction.
With the challenge behind her, Banfield said she is proceeding full steam ahead to the August primary.
“While my team and I took this complaint seriously, as we do with all matters of the law, the Board’s ruling respects the importance of every vote, and my abiding resolve to serve this community,” Banfield said.
For more information on Banfield’s candidacy, click here.
