Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for Votebeat Michigan’s free newsletter here.LANSING, Mich. — Embattled Antrim County Clerk Victoria Bishop, who lost access to the state’s voter roll after state officials said she unilaterally changed and canceled voter registrations, could face a recall election next spring.The Board of State Canvassers on Friday approved language for a recall petition against Bishop, formally starting the process for organizers to gather signatures.It was the third time organizers brought the effort before the board. At previous meetings, the canvassers said the petition language wasn’t specific enough in describing Bishop’s alleged misconduct. On Friday, canvassers approved three of the four proposals for signature gathering with instructions to only use one.“This was pretty cut and dry,” Ashley Areeda, a spokesperson for the Committee to Recall Victoria Bishop, told Votebeat on Friday after the meeting. “Now, we have three pretty good options.”Organizers will need more than 3,500 signatures from Antrim County’s less-than-25,000 full-time residents if they want to recall Bishop. They’ll have 180 days from Friday to collect signatures, although only signatures gathered during the most recent 60 days can count, per the state’s election official manual.If the effort succeeds, the committee — which describes itself as a bipartisan group of concerned Antrim residents who have followed Bishop’s actions closely — hopes to have the recall question on the May ballot.Now that the Board of State Canvassers has approved the petition language, Bishop has the right to appeal. She has 10 calendar days to do so, and her lawyer, former attorney general candidate Kevin Kijewski, said in a text message statement that Bishop is “reviewing the decision and all her options.”“In the meantime she will continue serving the people of Antrim County,” the statement continued. “A recall is ultimately decided by the voters, and if it reaches them, she looks forward to making her case directly to them.” The board’s approval is the latest development — but far from the last — in a saga that has irritated voters and township clerks alike in the northern Michigan community.Voting concerns in Antrim CountyAntrim County earned national attention during the 2020 presidential election after a human error in how a tabulator was set up led initial election results to incorrectly show Joe Biden leading Donald Trump in the conservative county. The error was corrected soon after it was discovered, but damage was done — people sued challenging the results and a number of people still believe the final result was in some way fraudulent.Then-County Clerk Sheryl Guy, a Republican, was set to retire after the 2024 election, leading to a five-way Republican primary in August 2024. Bishop won 37% of that vote and ran without a Democratic opponent that November. Guy then changed her mind and ran a write-in campaign, but lost.One of Bishop’s major campaign promises, as posted on her bright yellow campaign signs, was that she would “restore election integrity” in the county. The way Bishop went about keeping that promise now has led to the recall effort. County clerks have little power over how elections are administered in Michigan. Under state law, managing voters’ registration statuses falls to local clerks, such as city and township officials, rather than county clerks. But according to a letter the Bureau of Elections sent to Bishop in April, Bishop changed voters’ status and sent them cancellation notices.Bishop’s actions — including letters sent to more than 1,800 voters in the small county — fell outside the scope of her job, according to the Bureau of Elections. State Election Director Jonathan Brater sent Bishop a number of letters asking her to explain her actions.Bishop did not, leading to the suspension of her access to the state’s Qualified Voter File. A letter the Bureau of Elections sent Bishop on Sept. 18 indicates that she has done part of the work required to restore her access but has not yet completed it.One of the missing pieces, according to the letter: Bishop has not completed a section of training called “QVF Manual Chapter 4 — Voter Status Changes and Notices.”“Less than one minute was spent on this training when it was marked completed in May 2025, reflecting how much time was spent reviewing the material,” Brater wrote in his most recent letter.How do recall elections work in Michigan?If Bishop’s recall makes it to the ballot, it will follow a number of rules set by state guidelines. In many cases, the county clerk runs a recall, but because Bishop is the official organizers are looking to recall, filings will instead go to the Bureau of Elections.Organizers plan to start gathering signatures as soon as possible to avoid the worst of northern Michigan’s notoriously cold weather. Areeda told Votebeat that organizers are planning to host signing parties at people’s homes and even host drive-through events if needed.Only registered Antrim County voters will be able to sign the petitions, per state law, but anyone — even those who don’t live in Michigan — are allowed to circulate the petitions.If the election is held, voters won’t simply vote yes or no on whether Bishop should stay. Instead, Antrim County voters will choose between Bishop, who would be considered the incumbent, and any other candidates contending for the office. Whoever gets the most votes gets the job for the remainder of the term. Areeda said the committee has a few people in mind but is looking for “someone who fairly runs elections,” regardless of political party.“We’re just happy to have a chance to get started,” Areeda said. “Antrim County voters can finally have a say in this matter.”If a recall election fails, no other recall can be filed against Bishop for the remainder of her term. Her term ends at the end of 2028.Hayley Harding is a reporter for Votebeat based in Michigan. Contact Hayley at hharding@votebeat.org.
