ANTRIM COUNTY, MI - A growing dispute between state election officials and Antrim County Clerk Victoria Bishop reached a new level this week when the Michigan Bureau of Elections suspended Bishop’s access to the state’s Qualified Voter File (QVF), citing what officials described as repeated violations of Michigan election law.
The move follows months of controversy surrounding Bishop’s efforts to review and alter voter registration records in Antrim County, a county that became nationally known after the 2020 presidential election due to claims of election fraud.
In a letter sent Friday, Michigan Director of Elections Jonathan Brater informed Bishop that her access to the statewide voter registration database was being revoked after a state review found she had taken actions that "do not comply with Michigan Election Law and fall outside the scope of your statutory authority."
Under Michigan law, responsibility for maintaining voter registration records belongs primarily to city and township clerks. County clerks have limited authority to access the system and may only make certain changes under specific circumstances, such as reporting deceased voters.
State officials allege Bishop exceeded that authority by directly altering voter records and sending registration notices to voters without proper authorization.
State Alleges Unauthorized Voter Registration Changes
The conflict dates back to March, when Bishop mailed notices to approximately 1,800 Antrim County voters asking them to verify their registration information. The county has roughly 25,000 residents, meaning the notices reached a significant portion of registered voters.
The Bureau of Elections contends those mailings should have been handled by local township and city clerks, not the county clerk's office.
According to reporting by Interlochen Public Radio and Votebeat, Bishop also changed the voter registration status of several residents to "cancel" within the Qualified Voter File. Journalists reviewing state records identified at least six voters whose registrations were changed to canceled status, while additional reports suggested more than a dozen modifications may have occurred.
Bishop has denied wrongdoing and has argued that she was elected with a mandate to clean up Antrim County's voter rolls.
Throughout her campaign for county clerk, Bishop frequently claimed the county's voter rolls contained deceased individuals and voters who no longer lived in the county. She promised to restore election integrity and remove ineligible registrations.
However, local clerks have challenged her claims.
Banks Township Clerk Julie Chellis previously questioned the methodology used to identify the voters targeted by Bishop's review, noting that some individuals on the list were active voters, including younger residents and absentee voters who were legally registered.
"The list doesn't make sense to me," Chellis said in earlier reporting. "There are people that are voting absentee, as we speak."
State Warned Bishop of Possible Criminal Consequences
The Bureau of Elections first formally warned Bishop in April that her actions were outside her legal authority.
In a strongly worded letter, Brater told Bishop that elected officials do not possess unlimited authority simply because they won office.
"You do not have unlimited authority to conduct any action you see fit simply because you were elected to office," Brater wrote.
The state demanded that Bishop stop altering voter records and provide explanations regarding changes that had already occurred.
According to reports, Bishop initially failed to properly respond to the state's inquiries. Election officials said responses were either incomplete or sent to incorrect email addresses and failed to answer key questions regarding which voter records had been modified and why.
The latest suspension order requires Bishop to complete election training, demonstrate compliance with Michigan election law, and fully answer the state's questions before her access to the Qualified Voter File can be restored.
Investigation Also Involves Husband's Access to Clerk's Office
The controversy has expanded beyond voter registration changes.
Michigan State Police have been investigating an incident involving Bishop's husband, Randy Bishop, a conservative radio host known throughout Northern Michigan as "Trucker Randy."
According to a state police report obtained through public records requests, a county employee observed Randy Bishop alone inside a secure section of the clerk's office on February 19 while Victoria Bishop attended a county commission meeting elsewhere in the building.
Investigators reported that Randy Bishop was using Victoria Bishop's office computer to watch a livestream of the public meeting.
The clerk's office contains access to election-related systems, including the Qualified Voter File.
The Bishops told investigators that Randy was merely waiting for an important phone call and wanted a quiet place to watch the meeting. Both denied that he accessed voter registration records or other sensitive election data.
Victoria Bishop told investigators that her husband did not know her login credentials and had not independently accessed her computer.
The Michigan Attorney General's Office has confirmed that the investigation remains ongoing.
No criminal charges have been filed against either Victoria or Randy Bishop.
Political and Legal Tensions Continue to Escalate
The dispute has become increasingly political.
Randy Bishop has used his radio program to defend his wife and criticize Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and state election officials. During several broadcasts, he denied that Victoria Bishop improperly removed voters from the registration rolls and promoted efforts to raise money for potential legal action against the state.
At one point, fundraising efforts were launched to support a lawsuit against Benson and election officials, though no lawsuit ultimately appears to have been filed.
Reports indicate only a few hundred dollars were raised before the fundraising effort was removed.
No Expected Impact on Upcoming Elections
Despite the suspension, election officials say voters should not experience disruptions ahead of Michigan's August primary elections.
Antrim County Deputy Clerk Annette Marcus continues to have access to the Qualified Voter File, and most voter registration maintenance is performed by township and city clerks rather than county officials.
State officials also say they have worked with local clerks to restore any voter registrations that may have been improperly altered.
Still, the dispute has intensified scrutiny of election administration in Antrim County, a jurisdiction that has remained at the center of election integrity debates since 2020.
With investigations ongoing and state officials continuing to review Bishop's actions, the controversy is likely to remain a major issue heading into the 2026 election cycle.
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