The Canvassers' Verdict

Ralph Rebandt, a retired pastor from Southwest Michigan, will not appear on the August primary ballot for Michigan governor. The Michigan Board of State Canvassers voted Thursday to reject his nominating petition after elections officials found hundreds of invalid signatures among his submissions.

Rebandt, whose campaign is based in the Kalamazoo area, submitted 18,214 signatures to qualify for the ballot. Candidates need 15,000 valid signatures from registered voters to make the August 4 primary.

The state Bureau of Elections randomly sampled 750 signatures from Rebandt's submissions. Of those, 690 were deemed invalid and only 60 were valid, according to Bureau of Elections Director Jonathan Brater.

"I'm still convinced that the 750 [signature] sampling is bad, it's a bad process. Nobody's challenged that yet. So our intention is to challenge that in a larger court. So that's where we're headed," Rebandt told reporters after the board's decision, according to Michigan Public.

Rebandt and his lawyer asked the board for more time to prove his signatures were valid. The board denied the request.

Kim Thomas Also Removed

On the Democratic side, auditor Kim Thomas also failed to make the ballot. The Board of State Canvassers agreed with a Bureau of Elections report that her petition did not contain enough valid signatures.

Thomas submitted 17,976 signatures, according to Brater. Her submission also showed a high rate of invalid signatures in the random sample.

Brater is referring some of Thomas' signatures for investigation since there are "clear indications of fraud," according to Michigan News Source.

Thomas pushed back against the finding during the board meeting, according to Michigan Public.

James and Johnson Survive Challenges

Two other Republican candidates faced their own signature challenges but survived the board's review.

Congressman John James of Michigan's 10th District and businessman Perry Johnson both received the board's recommendation to be certified for the primary ballot.

Challengers to James' petitions claimed many of his sampled signatures were faked, improperly filled out, or from unregistered voters. Elections staff disagreed and found most of the challenged signatures valid. One voter challenged as deceased turned out to be a granddaughter with the same name living at the same address, according to Michigan Public.

Johnson's campaign faced accusations from a group connected with the James campaign of printing a required "paid for by" campaign finance statement on petition sheets after they had already been signed.

"That's forgery under the election law. That's not even a close call," Mission Michigan attorney Michael Pattwell told the board.

Board Vice Chair Mary Ellen Gurewitz said the board never received a copy of the alleged statement given to police.

"We don't have the affidavit. So, what are we supposed to do? Act on a rumor?" Gurewitz told reporters after the meeting.

Johnson's lawyer Jon Burns called the claims a "bad faith smear attempt" and "gamesmanship" that was "really beneath the board."

What the Primary Looks Like Now

Michigan's August 4 primary election will feature the following gubernatorial candidates:

Republican candidates:

  • Former Attorney General Mike Cox
  • U.S. Representative John James
  • Businessman Perry Johnson
  • Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt

Democratic candidates:

  • Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson
  • Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson

Independent candidate:

  • Karla Wagner

Rebandt's removal narrows the Republican field and eliminates a faith-based candidate who had drawn support from conservative Christian voters in Southwest Michigan. His planned legal challenge to the signature sampling process could test Michigan's petition verification methods before the primary.

Johnson, who was denied a spot on the primary ballot in 2024, now has a second chance at reaching Michigan voters in the August contest.