April 23, 2021 By Jon King / jking@whmi.com
Genoa Townshipâs longtime clerk, who is facing arraignment next month on an election violation charge, has been ordered by state officials to refrain from conducting any business related to elections, including processing ballots and voter registration.
The prohibitions came in a letter dated March 29th from Jonathan Brater, the Director of Elections for the Michigan Department of State, to Genoa Township Clerk Polly Skolarus. She was charged in March with a single, misdemeanor charge of Election Law - Failure to Perform Duty after a Michigan State Police investigation determined that she had used unapproved canvas bags to store excess absentee ballots used in the November 2020 election.
April 15, 2021 By Jon King / jking@whmi.com
The investigation that led to an election charge against longtime Genoa Township Clerk Polly Skolarus determined that unapproved canvas bags had been used to store excess absentee ballots used in the November election.
A single, misdemeanor charge of Election Law - Failure to Perform Duty was filed against Skolarus last month following an investigation by Michigan State Police. A Freedom of Information Act request by WHMI turned over the 30-page police report and 45 additional pages of supporting documents.
According to the report compiled by Detective Sgt. Michael Baker, multiple witnesses, including Livingston County Clerk Elizabeth Hundley, County Elections Coordinator Joe Bridgman, all four members of the Livingston County Board of Canvassers, Brighton Township Clerk Joe Riker, Green Oak Township Clerk Michael Sedlak, and Hamburg Township Deputy Clerk Mary Kuzner all stated they witnessed Skolarus an