Police report: Antrim Clerk’s husband had unsupervised access to election office, computer

This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Sign up for Votebeat Michigan’s free newsletter here.

Antrim County Clerk Victoria Bishop’s husband was alone in a secure area of the clerk’s office and using the clerk’s computer, according to a report by the Michigan State Police, which investigated the incident.

According to the police report, a county maintenance worker saw Randy Bishop alone in the clerk’s office on Feb. 19, watching a video stream of a county board of commissioners meeting that Victoria Bishop was attending.

Randy Bishop is a conservative talk radio host who goes by “Trucker Randy” and has claimed to have evidence that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

Votebeat obtained the report from a local resident who received it in response to a public records request, and confirmed the report’s authenticity with the state police.

The report itself, which is partially redacted, says the case is currently pending review by the Antrim County prosecutor’s office, though that office said its understanding is that the matter was being referred to the state attorney general, whose office did not respond to a request for comment.

The report doesn’t specify what law may have been violated.

Related:

According to the report, Bishop was seen in an area of the office which requires secure badge access, and was using the clerk’s computer to watch a Facebook livestream of the meeting, which was open to the public. The couple told investigators he was watching the meeting in the office because he was expecting a phone call and did not want it to cause a disruption during the meeting, according to the report.

Interviews with the Bishops, as well as emails between Victoria Bishop and County Administrator Jeremy Scott included in the report, focus on whether anyone other than the clerk knows her computer login and password, according to the report.

Victoria Bishop told Scott no one has had access to her computer, and she told the Michigan State Police that her husband did not know her login information. Randy Bishop similarly told investigators that he did not log in to his wife’s computer on his own.

Victoria Bishop did not respond to a request for comment. When reached by phone, Randy Bishop said, “It’s all in the report,” and added he had no additional comment before hanging up.

Victoria Bishop has been under scrutiny recently for what the state alleges are illegal efforts to change or cancel voter registrations in the county.

“You do not have unlimited authority to conduct any action you see fit simply because you were elected to office,” Jonathan Brater, director of the Michigan Bureau of Election, said in an April letter that also warned Victoria Bishop she could potentially face criminal charges in connection with that incident. No charges have been filed.

The Michigan State Police report regarding Randy Bishop’s access to the clerk’s office shows the state police were contacted by an official with the Office of Investigative Services Enforcement Division of the secretary of state’s office and asked to pause their interviews due to another ongoing investigation.

Angela Benander, a spokesperson for the secretary of state’s office, said it could not comment on the investigation into Randy Bishop’s access to the clerk’s office. As for the changes to the voter roll, Benander said the investigation is ongoing and the state has worked with local clerks to restore the registrations of all affected voters.

Victoria Bishop defeated the county’s prior clerk in the 2024 election, saying she would “restore election integrity in Antrim County.” During the campaign, Bishop said she believed “we still have dead people and people who no longer live in Antrim County” on the voter roll, and she promised to work with local clerks to remove such voters.

Hayley Harding contributed reporting.

Carter Walker is a reporter for Votebeat in partnership with Spotlight PA. Contact Carter at cwalker@votebeat.org. Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization covering local election integrity and voting access. Sign up for their newsletters here.