A local official in Flint, Michigan, was sentenced to six months of house arrest Monday for misconduct in office after sabotaging a ballot box in her own election in 2020.
Kathy Funk, a Democrat and former Flint Township Clerk, was accused of breaking a seal on a ballot box to ensure that the votes couldn’t be recounted. Funk must wear an ankle monitor and write a public apology for her actions during the election, the Associated Press reported.
“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,” Judge Mark Latchana told her at her sentencing on Monday. “And if we had unlimited jail space, perhaps that’s true. But we don’t.”
After votes were cast in the 2020 primary election for her seat as township clerk, Funk sabotaged the ballot box, making the ballots ineligible for a recount, according to investigators. There was no recount, even though the township clerk won her primary election by just 79 votes. She went on to win the general election later that fall.
Funk told police that someone broke into the township hall where the ballots were kept and broke the seal on the ballot box. At her sentencing, the judge admonished her for her break-in theory, the AP reported.
The 59-year-old quit her position as township clerk in 2021 to become the elections supervisor in Genesee County. Funk was dismissed as elections supervisor last year as her criminal case was pending.
Funk entered a “no contest” plea in January, and prosecutors agreed to spare her from jail time. Misconduct in office is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, Michigan Radio reported.
Latchana also sentenced Funk to 24 months of probation along with fines.
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“I’m not sure how I feel about the sentence,” Flint Township Supervisor Karyn Miller said. “But I am pleased that the judge made it crystal clear that this was her responsibility and she has to be accountable for it.”