LANSING, Mich. (Great Lakes News) – The Michigan Board of Canvassers voted on Thursday to reject certain GOP gubernatorial candidate petition signatures. It will keep those candidates off the ballot for now, with a likely court battle in the future.

The bipartisan board voted 2-2 along party lines, with Democrats voting yes and Republicans voting no following The Michigan Bureau of Elections recommendations.

MORE NEWS: Detroit Archdiocese Maps Two-Year Parish Shakeup

The board’s vote comes after the Bureau of Elections found that five candidates, including a few front-runners, failed to file enough valid signatures, and should not qualify for the August 2nd primary.

The elections bureau staff found that two of the leading candidates, former Detroit Police Chief James Craig and Businessman Perry Johnson, didn’t have enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.

They also recommended that three other Republican candidates, Mike Brown, Donna Brandenburg, and Michael Markey, be excluded from the ballot for similar reasons. Brown has since dropped out of the race, saying he wants nothing to do with fraudulent petition collectors.

Other candidates in various statewide elections were also disqualified from the ballot.