Crime & Safety
Man Who Submitted Petition to Legalize Marijuana in Ferndale Under Investigation
Andrew Cissel was registered to vote in Ferndale when he submitted the petition, but may have resided in Oak Park.
The Ferndale City Clerk has launched an investigation into voter registration fraud involving Andrew Cissell, the man who submitted a petition to legalize marijuana use in Ferndale this past summer.
According to a press release from City Clerk Cherilynn Brown, Cissell submitted a voter registration application at a Secretary of State branch office on June 10, 2013 listing his residence at 921 W. Drayton in Ferndale.
"His arrest and the subsequent investigation last week on unrelated charges raised questions about whether Mr. Cissell resides in Ferndale or Oak Park," Brown said in the release. "..the Michigan Election Code requires an investigation into the facts when credible information is received of possible fraudulent voter registration."
Brown filed a complaint with the Ferndale Police Department Monday.
"The Ferndale Police Department has been contacted regarding the possibility of voter registration fraud," Police Chief Timothy Collins said. "We have conducted a preliminary investigation which lends some credibility to the allegation. I have requested that the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office review our preliminary investigation and to conduct a formal voter registration fraud investigation if warranted. If warranted, the investigation will be forwarded to the Oakland County Prosecutors Officer for prosecutorial review."
Brown said Cissell filed petitions with the city on July 20 requesting an addition to the code of ordinances that would allow the use, possession or transfer of less than one ounce of marijuana on private property by a person 21-years-old or older. Brown said he signed each petition sheet and listed the Ferndale address in a notarized affidavit.
"Whether or not a conviction on fraudulent voter registration will affect the ballot proposal’s validity is being examined," Brown said in the press release. "Representatives of the Michigan Bureau of Elections say the Election Code does not provide a remedy if voter fraud is determined after a proposal has been placed on the ballot."
According to Brown, ballots are already at the printers to meet Saturday’s state and federal deadline for issuing absent voter ballots to military and overseas voters.
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