Abbatt is disappointed by Salameys response.

For a candidate to challenge and threaten another who is appropriately using the legal challenge process shows a lack of judicial temperament and an inability to defer judgment until all evidence is heard. Nor is it proper or judicial to comment when a full investigation by the Bureau of Elections and the Board of Canvassers is still ongoing. Abbatts challenge to Salameys nominating petitions is a normal part of the election process. In every election challenges take place and candidates should expect that their Petitions will be carefully reviewed by their opponents. When candidates run for office each must gather a minimum number of signatures of registered voters from the city where the election takes place. In Dearborn, the requirement for District Judge is 400 minimum signatures and 800 maximum. The signatures must be the actual registered voter, and the form filled out completely. The person who collects the signatures or circulator must be a registered voter. Abbatts challenges are very specific: Not enough registered voters signed the Petitions. Signatures appear different than on file with the State. Technical defects such as failing to fill in the date or incomplete signatures. Some circulators or collectors may not be registered voters. This invalidates the whole petition page. Duplicate signatures.

Addresses not in the city limits of Dearborn or no city listed. E.g. Forrer 42 signatures were made invalid by the State in a facial review of Salameys signatures. These were not based on any challenge by Abbatt. The Michigan Bureau of Elections will now review all of the challenged signatures and issue a report to the Board of Canvassers. They will compare the signatures and names to the Qualified Voter File or QVF to see if the person who signed was a registered voter and if his or her signature is the same as on the voter card. This is done to insure the integrity of the election process. Candidates are

responsible for the activities of their circulators and should carefully look over the Petitions before turning them in to the State. The State will only look at the first 800 of Salameys signatures. Abbatt also wishes to make clear that there is absolutely no claim of fraud by Abbatt against Salamey personally. All challenges are based on the above defects in the petitions are circulator based. Abbatt did object to the oversubmission of signatures by Salamey and his failure to fully fill out an Affidavit of Candidacy. This is the third time Salamey has run for district judge. Twice he was defeated in the primary. On April 26, 2012 Michigan's Board of Canvassers refused to certify more than 200,000 petition signatures seeking a referendum on the state's Emergency Manager Law, Public Act 4--based only on the font size of the Petitions. Mr. Hollowell represented the unsuccessful litigants in that case. Abbatts filing is an ordinary administrative process seeking review of the Salamey petitions. Salamey had the same right to review Abbatts Petitions and had he found them to be deficient, he would have been entitled to file his own challenges. He did not.