PETOSKEY — Little Traverse Township Clerk Sherry Duntley has been charged with attempting to influence voters’ preferences on three ballot proposals in the 2022 election cycle, according to Michigan State Attorney General Spokesperson Kimberly Bush.

Duntley’s attorney Mary Beth Kur says her client is innocent of the charges.

“My client is a dedicated public servant who has worked tirelessly at her job as clerk, in very difficult time, i.e. the pandemic. The felony charge in this case has devastated her and we will defend it vigorously in a court of law,” Kur said in a text.

Duntley has been arraigned on one felony count of common law offenses, which could result in a $10,000 fine and/or five years in prison, and one misdemeanor count of willful neglect of duty that could result in a $1,000 fine and/or up to one year in jail.

Although specifics regarding the ballot proposals involved in the allegations remain unknown, Emmet County voters passed three initiatives in last year’s midterm election, dealing with issues such as voting access, term limits and reproductive rights.

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As a local elected official, clerks are responsible for keeping voter registration files and conducting elections. An important component in this job is the ability to maintain political neutrality while administering the voting process.

According to the state, the complaints were made to the Michigan Department of State by township citizens.

“Such behavior allegedly violated a lawful instruction from the Secretary of State, compelling election officials to refrain from expressing their personal opinions on issues that are concurrently up for vote on already-distributed ballots across the state,” according to Bush.

Duntley was arraigned in the 90th District Court in Emmet County in March. Her preliminary examination, originally scheduled in May, has been postponed until 2 p.m. on June 28.

— Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231)675-0099 or adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com. Follow her on Twitter, @adoylenews.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Little Traverse Township clerk charged with election interference