ESCANABA — Despite the results of the May 7 recall election for the Delta County Board ultimately being certified, the initial failure of the Delta County Board of Canvassers to certify the election has led to calls for the removal of the canvasser who was primarily responsible for the failed certification.

“I have a request that Bonnie Hokkala be removed from the board of canvassers, and I’m not doing it to be vindictive. I feel that she didn’t serve … her oath — didn’t follow our oath — didn’t do her job. It caused a lot of chaos in our county, and I just don’t think she should be on (the board),” Canvasser John Meyers told the Delta County Board of Commissioners Tuesday. “And I’ve got two concerns, the primary coming up and the general election in November and I feel it could be a real problem if it happens again — especially the November election.”

Canvassers serve four-year terms, with one canvasser appointed every odd year from both the Democratic and Republican parties. The local party chapters each submit three names for their seats, with the county commissioners ultimately selecting their choice for the position. This means that at any point in time, both parties should have two representatives on the four-person board. The term for Hakkola, who also serves as the president of the Delta County Republican party, ends in October of 2025.

In Delta County, a third individual from each party is appointed to serve as an alternate, who can fill in for canvassers from their respective party as needed as a “temporary board member,” under Michigan election law.

When the Board of Canvassers met on May 14, Republican Canvasser Sema Deeds was unable to attend the meeting. Temporary Board Member and Delta County Republican Secretary LeeAnne Oman filled in for the meeting, joining with Hakkola in voting against certifying the election and deadlocking the board.

The reason given for voting against the certification was the consistency of the voter ratios across races. Challengers Kelli Van Ginhoven and Matt Jensen each received 72% of the vote in their respective races, to incumbent commissioners Dave Moyle’s and Bob Petersen’s 27%. In the race between challenger Myra Croasdell and Incumbent Commissioner Bob Barron, the percentages were 73% and 26%, respectively.

However, boards of canvassers serve a purely administrative role, doing things like comparing the precinct poll books to reports from the precincts to look for consistency in the number of votes cast. It is illegal for the canvassers to deny certifying an election based off its results, and even Hakkola noted at the second Board of Canvassers meeting on May 17 that there were no inconsistencies in the information given to the board about the poll books or ballots.

The election was certified on May 17 with Deeds present and Hakkola remaining mute during the vote on the certification. Hakkola did, ultimately, sign the necessary documents to certify the election.

However, many of the comments made by Hakkola in a written statement read during the meeting suggested a broader distrust of the election process. She argued Proposal 2 of 2022, which expanded voter access in Michigan, was “not valid” because there was not a “Constitutional Convention” held related to its passing; argued for one-day voting with hand-counted paper ballots instead of tabulating machines; and referenced a maxim from Charles A. Weisman’s “Maxims of Law,” which is often used by individuals who subscribe to ideologies that deny the legitimacy of at least some aspects of the government or its laws. She also argued the Board of Canvassers should have hand-counted the ballots prior to the certification — something that is not permitted under state law.

Hakkola has a history of making similar comments denying the validity of elections at Delta County Board of Commissioners meetings.

“There is a lot of fraud. The fraud is coming out. The fraud was very prevalent in Michigan and in Wisconsin. Am I saying our local clerk did something wrong? No. I’m saying there’s fraud inherent in the elections. It’s in the machinery,” said Hakkola at the March 19 Board of Commissioners meeting, while repeating widely-spread but debunked claims about Dominion voting machines and making a false claim that tabulators are connected to the internet.

A press release issued May 13 by Hakkola’s son, Seth Hakkola, said local citizens working with members of Michigan-based groups that deny the validity of the 2020 presidential election have “identified certain statistical anomalies and suspicious voting ratios” and were “formally requesting a hand recount and forensic audit of the results.” The elder Hakkola took a telephone call during the May 13 canvass that is believed to have been from someone related to the group.

“How soon can we look at recounts, a recount of the ballots? … When do we need to request? What is the date for putting in a request?” Hakkola asked following the certification on May 17. Only candidates may legally request recounts.

While the Delta County Board of Commissioners appoints canvassers, it is unclear whether they have the authority to remove them. Even if the commissioners do have that authority — a question currently being weighed by the state bureau of elections — it is unknown how the local Republican Party would handle the ouster of their local president.