MICHIGAN DUers: Rally 8/24 1 p.m. Demand Ruth Johnson Step Down

[bfealk]

The media will be there, the Detroit News and the Oakland Press

For Immediate Release


Contact:

Bruce Fealk

313-525-0714 cell

248-652-8781 ofc.



August 22, 2006









Media Advisory: Citizens for Fair Elections Calls for Johnson’s Resignation



Who: Citizens for Fair Elections



What: Protest Rally



When: Thursday, August 24 at 1 p.m.



Where: 1200 N. Telegraph in front of Commissioners Auditorium



To Confirm Attendance: Please contact Bruce Fealk at 248-652-8781 or via email at [e-mail].



Further Details:



Citizens for Fair Elections Calls for Resignation from County Clerk Johnson



PONTIAC, MI – At a protest rally today outside the Oakland County Complex, Citizens for Fair Elections called on Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson to step down from her position while she is campaigning for Lieutenant Governor.



The election fiasco of 2000 is still fresh in the minds of America and Oakland County residents and there is concern that a conflict of interest could taint this year’s election in Michigan. Everyone remembers the fiasco of hanging chads and the signing off on Florida’s election results by Katherine Harris while the vote count results were still in contention.



Johnson is running for Lieutenant Governor – an obvious conflict with her duties as head of elections in Oakland County. When the DeVos campaign was asked to comment on the issue of conflict of interest they replied that, “Ruth Johnson will continue her duties as Oakland County Clerk. She has volunteered her spare time to the campaign.” The comment did not address the conflict of interest concern.



“This is a question of ethics. Oakland County’s vote is so critical in the state of Michigan, it can swing elections, as we’ve seen in the past. Johnson’s serving as an objective elections official when her own name is on the ballot casts a huge shadow on the election process,” Citizens for Fair Elections spokesperson Bruce Fealk said today.



In order to avoid any appearance of impropriety, it is the position of Citizens for Fair Elections that Ruth Johnson

should resign her position until after the gubernatorial campaign.



###