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Secretary of State says too soon to rule on El-Sayed eligibility

Abdul El-Sayed
Bridge Magazine

The state says now is not the time to rule on whether a candidate for governor is eligible to run.  

That could mean the question will wait until after Democratic voters make their choice in the primary.

The state constitution says a candidate for governor must have been a registered voter in Michigan for at least four years before the election.

Democratic hopeful Abdul El-Sayed voted in New York in 2012, and the question is whether that invalidated his Michigan voter registration until he re-registered here in 2016.

The Michigan Secretary of State says the office isn’t doing anything to keep El-Sayed off the ballot, and is the wrong target for a lawsuit.

If the state Court of Claims agrees, that, that could punt the question until after the August primary when Democrats choose their nominee.

Rick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987.
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