Republican John Roth broke the law by failing to register to vote in the newly drawn 104th House District in time for the August Primary

Lansing, Mich. – John Roth, a northern Michigan lawmaker who won his primary race and will appear on the general election ballot should not be allowed to do so. To avoid running against another Republican representative, John Roth moved to the newly drawn 104th House District and changed his address, but failed to change his voter registration in time for the primary deadline.

“All candidates must play by the same rules and we sign a filing form attesting to the truth. If I realized I was not in compliance with a rule, I would report it immediately,” says Cathy Albro, Democratic candidate for the 104th house district.  “I expect that my opponent would do the same. Anything short of that, is dishonest. If the reporting is true that Mr. Roth knew on May 23 that he was not in compliance with the filing requirements, then he deceived his potential constituents and should be held accountable on Election Day.”

“Why would anyone vote for someone to represent a district when he doesn’t really live there, apparently doesn’t really want to, and seems pretty dishonest about the whole thing,” says Jim Dulzo, chair of the Benzie County Democratic Party. We need lawmakers who are connected to and concerned about where they actually live. John Roth fails that test.” 

John Helge, chair of the Manistee County Democratic Party says “once again we are seeing examples of how some members of the Republican Party are willing to bend and break the rules that the majority of the voters in this region simply obey as the cultural norm. John Roth has been caught in a lie about his actual home of residence which he did not establish prior to registering to run for the 104th Michigan House District.  Voters need to appreciate the fact that he chose to lie about this important fact.  What else is he willing to lie about to get elected?”

“Voters in the 104 expect unconditionally that individuals who apply to be on the ballot are doing so not only in good faith but with integrity. Mr. Roth, by placing his name on the ballot, knowing that he wasn’t a resident of the district does not have the moral fiber to be the Representative for the 104, says Veronica Welter, chair of the Antrim County Democratic Party. “Our Democratic system of government expects that people running for office follow the rules and the court of law.  By lying about his residence, Mr. Roth has betrayed that trust to the people in the 104th District.  We need Cathy Albro as our Representative, she believes in the integrity of our voting process and will be a Representative we can be proud of.”

“If we cannot trust John Roth to get his voter registration or PRE (principal residence exemption) done on time, how can we trust him to represent us? Let’s support someone we can trust to represent us honestly,” says Chris Cracchiolo, chair of the Grand Traverse Democratic Party. “I support Cathy Albro for the 104th House Seat because I know that she will represent us honestly and truthfully, unlike John Roth.”

The 104th district is located in the northwest corner of the lower peninsula and includes much of Antrim, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Benzie, Manistee, and the northern part of Wexford counties.

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