Governor Makes Appointment to Board of State Canvassers

Liz Gullett

Jul 22, 2022

Governor Gretchen Whitmer appointed Richard Houskamp to serve on the Board of State Canvassers. He’s appointed to represent Republicans on the board, for a term that commenced on July 19, 2022, and expires January 31, 2023. He’s succeeding Norm Shinkle who resigned from the board to run for the Michigan House of Representatives. Mr. Houskamp is the CEO of Neural Planet and the managing partner of Visitworks. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Calvin University.

The Board of State Canvassers canvasses and certifies statewide elections, elections for legislative districts that cross county lines, and all judicial offices except Judge of the Probate Court. The Board also conducts recounts for state-level offices, canvasses nominating petitions filed with the Secretary of State and state-level ballot proposal petitions, assigns ballot designations and adopting ballot language for statewide ballot proposals, and approves electronic voting systems for use in the state. The Board of State Canvassers consists of four members—two members from each major political party—who are nominated by their state central committee.

This appointment is subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

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