HART, Mich. (WOOD) — The chairman of the Oceana County Board of Canvassers has been removed from that position after he wrote a letter to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson about election integrity.

Dr. Robert Sobie, who works for the county, confirmed to News 8 this afternoon that the Oceana County Board of Commissioners voted to remove Charles Ritchard from his appointed position on the Board of Canvassers.  

Ritchard, who is also listed as a plaintiff in the Sidney Powell lawsuit known as “The Kraken,” filed a lawsuit against Oceana County Clerk Amy Anderson and the Oceana County Board of Commissioners Wednesday in U.S. Federal Court in the Western District of Michigan.  

The lawsuit claims Anderson violated Ritchard’s First Amendment Rights when she suspended Ritchard from the Board of Canvassers after Ritchard sent a letter to Benson detailing concerns about the electoral process and ballot integrity.  

The lawsuit asks for the court to restore Ritchard as the chairman of the Oceana County Board of Canvassers.

Ritchard had served on the Board of Canvassers since 2018. He was made chairman in 2020.