Politics

Ex-Dem Clerk Allegedly Violated Election Law. She Just Got House Arrest

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Trevor Schakohl Legal Reporter
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A judge sentenced a former Democratic Flint Township, Michigan clerk to six months of house arrest Monday after she allegedly sabotaged a box of ballots from her 2020 primary election to prevent a potential recount, according to The Associated Press.

Kathy Funk claimed a 79-vote victory in the Flint Township clerk Democratic primary and allegedly broke the ballot box’s seal following the contest, ultimately winning the general election before moving on to become Genesee County’s elections supervisor in 2021, the outlet reported. Funk at first claimed she suspected an intruder had broken into the Flint Township hall and vandalized the ballot box seal, but pleaded no-contest in January 2023 to felony misconduct of office, which carries a five-year maximum prison sentence.

“I’m sure there’s a segment of the population that thinks you should be locked up for calling into question the integrity of an election,” Judge Mark Latchana said Monday, according to the AP. “And if we had unlimited jail space, perhaps that’s true. But we don’t.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Major Conservative Org Endorses Joe Manchin’s 2024 Election Opponent)

Genesee County fired Funk as elections supervisor in December 2022, MLive reported. Her sentence includes apologizing for her conduct in writing, according to the AP.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 08: An election inspector processes a ballot at the Huntington Place convention center on November 08, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. After months of candidates campaigning, Americans are voting in the midterm elections to decide close races across the nation. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

DETROIT, MICHIGAN – NOVEMBER 08: An election inspector processes a ballot at the Huntington Place convention center on November 08, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Kent County, Michigan election worker James Donald Holkeboer was charged in September with two felonies after someone allegedly saw him during an August 2022 primary election inserting a personal USB drive into an Electronic Poll Book computer, which is used to administer elections in precincts and contain voter registration information.

Funk’s lawyer did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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