Election Conspiracy Theories From 2020 Presidential Race Persist, Stirring Controversy in Arizona

This year’s primaries indicate Republican voters’ enthusiasm for candidates who push false claims about the 2020 election.

LANSING, Mich. — Sheryl Guy anticipated retiring after more than four decades in the clerk’s office of northern Michigan’s Antrim County. However, the outcome of Tuesday’s primary might change her plans.

Five candidates compete in the Republican primary to succeed her as the county’s top elections official, a role she has held for 12 years. The winner will be favored in this Republican-leaning county in November.

One candidate has promoted election conspiracies and criticized the elections office since the 2020 presidential election. If this candidate wins, Guy plans to run as a write-in candidate in the general election.

“I fear for the taxpayers and the county becoming part of their agenda,” Guy stated. “I can’t just turn over an office that I have worked in for over 45 years to an election conspiracist.”

The Antrim County race is one of many primaries in Michigan and other states featuring Republican candidates promoting election conspiracies. This year’s primaries serve as a measure of Republican voters’ interest in such candidates.

In Arizona’s Maricopa County, Republican voters ousted the head of the elections office, replacing them with a state lawmaker who questioned various aspects of the election system. In Nevada, a county commissioner survived a primary challenge from election conspiracists.

Election conspiracy theorists are also on Michigan’s GOP primary ballot. Two Republicans charged for acting as false presidential electors after the 2020 election are running for office. Another candidate is the sheriff in southwestern Michigan investigating false claims of widespread election fraud from 2020.

Antrim County has been a focal point of election conspiracy theories since 2020. The county initially reported a landslide win for Biden, attributed to human error, and quickly corrected to show Trump won. Nonetheless, the error fueled further speculation of voter fraud.

Guy, who voted for Trump in 2020, continues to be targeted by conspiracy theories and personal attacks. Victoria Bishop, whose husband is a conservative radio host who sued Guy, is running for Guy’s position. Bishop did not respond to requests for comment. Her social media states she aims to “restore election integrity to Antrim County” by hand-counting ballots.

Other candidates are also in the Republican primary, including one endorsed by Guy. If Bishop wins, Guy will delay her retirement to run as a write-in in November.

“It’s not just my race. It’s the sheriff’s race. It’s the township races. We’re being infiltrated,” Guy said. “They’re coming in and they’re trying to take over.”

Research shows hand-counting ballots is more time-consuming and less accurate than machine tabulation.

“Some activists push for election procedure changes that make elections less secure,” said David Becker, election law expert and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research. “Hand counts are less accurate and take more time, potentially spreading lies and violence during the delay.”

In southeastern Michigan, Stanley Grot is up for reelection as the Shelby Township clerk, overseeing local elections. Barred from running any elections after being charged for acting as a false elector for Trump in 2020, Grot declined to comment.

Republican Michele Lundgren, another accused false elector, is running unopposed for a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives, expected to face House Speaker Joe Tate, a Democrat, in November. Lundgren did not respond to an email request for comment.

Grot’s and Lundgren’s candidacies highlight the continued influence of election falsehood pushers in the state Republican Party. Several others involved in the false elector plot were part of the Michigan delegation at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July.

Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf, who doubts the 2020 election results through multiple investigations, is running for reelection against several Republicans. Leaf, part of the “constitutional sheriffs,” believes his power in the county surpasses that of any other official.