Michigan Tea Party group loses bid to place names on ballot Read more: Michigan Tea Party group loses bid to place names on ballot

By Dawson Bell LANSING – The Michigan Court of Appeals denied today a request by a group calling itself the Tea Party to order state elections officials to approve its candidates for the November ballot.A three-judge panel of the court said elections officials were not required to honor the request because the Tea Party -- which state Republican Party officials and many tea party activists believe was created by Democrats to siphon votes away from Republicans – had not strictly adhered to election law in the nomination of its slate of candidates.

Twenty-three candidates purportedly nominated by the Tea Party were denied a spot on the ballot last week by a divided state elections panel, with Democrats voting to qualify them and Republicans opposed.

Tea Party attorney Mike Hodge was not immediately available for comment about whether the court ruling would be appealed.

Elections officials say they need to have a final list of candidates by early September in order to begin printing ballots.