Former Flint Township Clerk Gets House Arrest for Ballot Sabotage Scheme

A former Flint Township clerk accused of breaking the seal on a ballot box in order to thwart a recount has been sentenced to house arrest.

Kathy Funk pleaded no contest to a charge of misconduct in office for her role in the 2020 election. The plea was in exchange for prosecutors dropping a charge of ballot tampering.

Sabotaging the Ballot Box

Funk had won the Democratic nomination by a mere 79 votes, out of about 5,300. No recount was conducted and Funk then won the general election in the fall of 2020. Officials say Funk broke the seal, sabotaging the ballot box after the primary election, subsequently making those ballots ineligible for a recount.

Funk initially told state police investigators that she thought someone had broken into the township hall and damaged the seal on the ballot box.

She faces two years of probation and will be forced to wear a tether device for six months. She also has to write a public letter of apology and pay a $1,000 fine.

Harsh Words from the Judge

Judge Mark Latchana presided over Funk's sentencing hearing on Monday (4/24). He had harsh words for the 59-year-old for concocting the break-in story.

“I’m sure there’s a segment of the population that thinks you should be locked up for calling into question the integrity of an election,” Latchana said Monday. “And if we had unlimited jail space, perhaps that’s true. But we don’t.”

The Associated Press reports that Funk was dismissed from her position in 2021 while her criminal case was pending.