Meridian Twp. clerk withdraws from write-in campaign

MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP — Meridian Township Clerk Deborah Guthrie, who was disqualified from the ballot as a traditional candidate but filed as a registered write-in, has dropped out of the race for her seat altogether.

Guthrie, who was elected in 2020, was disqualified from the running as a named candidate on the ballot earlier this year after county and township officials said she did not pay $175 in fees as part of her affidavit of identity, a necessary step to qualify for the ballot.

Guthrie then submitted paperwork to run as a write-in candidate but has since withdrawn that write-in campaign, which means even if enough people write her name on the ballot for her to win, it wouldn't count, said Barb Byrum, the Ingham County clerk, who oversees elections.

Guthrie said, in an email Thursday, that she has spent decades as a communications professional, including work for Meridian Township, and is proud of her work as a clerk.

"Rather than having the final months of my first term focused on a write-in campaign and the amount of time that would take away from my official duties and the projects my team wishes to complete," she said in the email, "I know my time will be better spent focused on administering our upcoming elections, completing a policy rewrite for the township with the Policy Review Committee I'm serving on and continuing to make board decisions that support our staff who serve the community."

Voters will choose from four people whose names will be on the ballot for the Aug. 6 primary. The partisan primary winners will face off in the Nov. 5 general election.

Angela Demas, Mike McCurdy and Emily Stivers will be on the ballot as Democratic candidates. Patty McPhee will be on the ballot as a Republican candidate.

Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Meridian Twp. clerk withdraws from write-in campaign