Election distrust pushes Michigan township clerk toward retirement

Published October 27, 2026. Sue Hartman, the Republican clerk of Courtland Township in Kent County, Michigan, says she considers elections secure. Even so, she plans to leave her job after the midterms, in large part because she faces a daily barrage of election denialism. Kent County is home to Grand Rapids, and Michigan is a political swing state where election disputes have unsettled some residents.

The concerns come amid a fight over Alaska’s Senate race, where two candidates named Dan Sullivan are on the ballot. President Donald Trump has accused Democrats of recruiting the non-party-affiliated candidate to confuse voters and draw support from Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. The Mary Peltola campaign and national Democrats have denied involvement in the recruitment effort.

Trump called for Peltola and the other Dan Sullivan to be removed from the ballot, and said the Justice Department should sue. The department has filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent Alaska from certifying the race if the outcome would cost the incumbent his seat. Alaska’s Supreme Court has ruled that the additional Sullivan may stay in the contest.

Trump’s demands followed an earlier directive telling the U.S. Postal Service not to deliver ballot envelopes sent by mail to people absent from state-provided voter lists. The U.S. Supreme Court froze that order last month, so it will not apply in November.

Hartman spoke about the pressures facing local election officials before the Justice Department filed its Alaska lawsuit. Her planned retirement comes as national disputes over voting rules and ballot candidates add to the strain on public confidence in elections.

Election denialism is driving a Michigan clerk out

Published October 27, 2026. Sue Hartman, a Republican clerk in Michigan’s Kent County, says elections are secure. Yet she plans to retire after the midterms, in large part because of the daily barrage of election denialism she faces. Her departure underscores the burden that election officials can face when unfounded claims about voting become a constant feature of public life.

The pressure comes as President Donald Trump has demanded that two candidates be removed from Alaska’s Senate ballot. Two men named Dan Sullivan are running: the sitting Republican and an unaffiliated contender. Trump alleges Democrats recruited the other Sullivan to confuse voters and divert support from the incumbent. Peltola’s team and national Democratic groups have rejected any role in the recruitment.

The Justice Department has sued over the race, seeking to prevent Alaska from certifying it if the incumbent loses. Alaska’s Supreme Court upheld the additional Sullivan’s place in the contest. Trump has also called for Peltola to be removed, escalating the dispute from allegations about campaign tactics to demands for political consequences.

A separate Trump order targeting mail ballots was frozen by the U.S. Supreme Court last month and will not apply in November. Hartman spoke about election pressures before the Alaska lawsuit was filed. The contrast is stark: Hartman says elections are secure, while repeated claims of fraud risk eroding the trust local officials work to maintain.

Alaska ballot dispute raises questions as Michigan clerk retires

Published October 27, 2026. Courtland Township Clerk Sue Hartman says elections are secure, but plans to retire after the midterms after facing a daily barrage of election denialism. Her experience comes as election disputes intensify, including a contentious Alaska Senate race that has drawn President Donald Trump’s attention.

Two candidates named Dan Sullivan are on Alaska’s ballot: the sitting Republican and an unaffiliated contender. Trump says Democrats recruited the other Sullivan to confuse voters and take votes from the incumbent. The Mary Peltola campaign and national Democrats deny involvement. The Justice Department has sued, seeking to stop Alaska from certifying the race if the incumbent loses, while the state’s Supreme Court has upheld the additional Sullivan’s place in the contest.

Trump has demanded that Peltola and the other Sullivan be removed. The dispute raises a serious question about whether voters could be confused by candidates sharing a name. But the claims remain contested, and Alaska’s court has permitted the candidate to remain on the ballot.

Trump’s separate order to restrict delivery of some mail-in ballots was frozen by the U.S. Supreme Court last month and will not apply in November. Hartman spoke before the Alaska lawsuit was filed. Her retirement shows how the climate around elections can weigh on local officials—even as she maintains that the elections they administer are secure.