The state Bureau of Elections has tossed out petitions and thousands of signatures seeking a recall election against state Representative Larry Inman.
The decision is based on two typos on the petition form.
The elections bureau says the language on the petition does not exactly match the language that was approved by a state board – and that the law says close is not good enough. The most significant difference is the omission of one word from the federal charges filed against Inman.
The chair of the recall campaign says the decision is “disappointing” and the group is assessing its options. Larry Inman is a Traverse City Republican. He is about to go on trial on charges he solicited a bribe and lied to federal investigators.
The state elections director says the recall campaign can challenge the decision in court -- but the challenge must be wrapped up by January 10th. That’s the deadline for finalizing the ballot prior to the March 10th election.