State, national GOP seek to delay certification of election results
Category: News & Politics
Via: sister-mary-agnes-ample-bottom • 4 years ago • 39 commentsBy: Beth LeBlanc (The Detroit News)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Beth LeBlancThe Detroit News View Comments
The state and national Republican parties have asked the Board of State Canvassers to delay certification of the state's election results in a bid to investigate "anomalies and irregularities" alleged to have occurred in Michigan's Nov. 3 election.
Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Laura Cox and Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel asked the state to conduct a "full, transparent audit" before certification, noting other states like Georgia "have taken discretionary steps" in determining their results.
The Board of State Canvassers is scheduled to meet Monday to consider certification.
The request comes a day after Republican U.S. Senate candidate John James requested the same delay. James, a Farmington Hills businesstrails U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, by more than 92,000 votes in unofficial results after the 83 counties turned in their certified results, a gain for Peters of 9,000 votes from the preliminary results.
"In light of the already unprecedented nature of this election — conducted largely by mail in the midst of an ongoing pandemic, it would be a grievous dereliction of this board's duty to the people of Michigan not to ensure that the irregularities identified by the James Campaign are thoroughly investigated by a full audit before certifying Wayne County's results," Cox and McDaniel wrote.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said Friday an audit could not be completed prior to the certification of results because "election officials do not have legal access to the documents needed to complete audits until the certification."
Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons, a Republican, echoed those concerns when testifying Thursday before a joint legislative committee.
"If you did it before the canvass was complete, you're auditing unofficial results," Posthumus Lyons said. "Additionally if you audit before a recount has taken place, you're opening up very secure containers, and things that are really important to protecting and preserving the security of the election before a potential recount takes place.
"The order in which this all occurs I think is important as well," she said.
Still, Cox and McDaniel argued it was possible to investigate some claims made in the affidavits and unbalanced poll books in Wayne County while still complying with the Dec. 8 deadline for certification. The states are required to certify by this "safe harbor" day or invite court or congressional intervention.
"To simply gloss over those irregularities now without a thorough audit would only foster feelings of distrust among Michigan's electorate," Cox and McDaniel wrote.
Republican state canvasser Norm Shinkle told The Detroit News Friday he was considering moving for an audit and/or a delay of the final certification, but couldn't make a decision until presented by the Michigan Bureau of Elections report on the certifications from 83 counties.
Shinkle said he wasn't convinced the Wayne County Board of Canvassers had successfully certified the election after GOP canvassers there attempted to rescind their affirmative votes after the 14-day deadline. The canvassers were unsuccessful in their attempt, Wayne County's legal counsel said.
"Now, I'm only one voice out of four," Shinkle said. "But if there's evidence that we need more information, then we should ask for it."
Wayne County's canvassers were told Tuesday that approximately 70% of Detroit's absentee vote counting boards were out of balance without explanation, potentially disqualifying them from a recount. The total plummeted for the city's in-person precincts, where 22% were out of balance and unexplained.
Elections officials said the out-of-balance poll books were off by a few hundred votes in a county where about 878,000 people voted. Democratic President-elect Joe Biden is leading President Donald Trump 51%-48% or by 154,000 votes in the unofficial but certified county results, a gain for Biden of 8,000 votes over the preliminary lead of 146,000 votes.
Affidavits filed in suits seeking to stop the Wayne County canvass, which was certified last week, alleged barriers to poll challengers and irregularities in the way ballots were handled at the TCF Center in Detroit. Elections officials have rebutted the claims, and a Wayne County judge and state Court of Appeals panel have agreed.
eleblanc@detroitnews.com
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Trump is playing golf while his flunkies are playing games with our democracy. Toss his ass out now.
Trump is still your President all the way until January 20, 2021.
Thank you for commenting.
Thanks for sharing.
Don't worry. On January 20, 2021, at 12:01 p.m., Joe Biden will be your President.
Yippee-ai-ay, Cowboy!
No shit, Sherlock,
Maybe he should, for once, start acting like it. 257,000 Americans dead from COVID, Trump remains silent.
I want POS/POTUS in office until the last minute of his term. while I doubt the gutless coward will show up at the inauguration, I don't want VP Q-tip to have any chance of pardoning him or his defective spawn. the participants in his EC scheme will eventually be abandoned by him and they will answer for their unamerican and unconstitutional activities and ultimately have to fend for themselves.
It's funny that, now all those Trump has thrown under the bus thinking he would win the election, will be coming back to haunt him. They know a great bit about how he has run his camp and WH, and all they have to do is mention it on the sly to those who can bring it out in the open.
As they say, "There's more than one way to skin a Banana", or some such saying that I can't bring myself to say. Yoda is looking over my shoulder as I type.
Nowhere on the spectrum of official politics is there a willingness to do that.
However the Socialist Equality Party has stated that the only viable response to his threats to overturn an election Biden clearly won is to effect Trump's immediate ejection from office.
That's interesting IMT. The Socialist Equality Party is an official political party, is it not?
Official only in the sense that it is organized. In terms of practical presentation on the political spectrum, the SEP is a non-entity. You will search in vain for discussion of SEP principles or its platform items in the august halls of power.
While the SEP may not have representation in DC, you can't, in good faith, deny that they are on 'the spectrum of official politics'.
We must have trust the the electoral system!
All the while sowing distrust in the electoral system...
Morons have to realize they are doing exactly what they are proclaiming to protect.
yeah, man!!! Only the 2016 election was rigged, right? Russian interference cost Abuela Hillary her crown!
What a stupid comment.
you need me to explain it to you?
So now you're admitting it? I have to say you are more assure of yourself than I am. Most I could say is that it may, or may not, have cost Clinton the election.
The Trump plan is to delay state's certification until there is an opportunity to get the Supreme Court involved.
Meanwhile they have no evidence.
Sidney Powell told Lou Dobbs on Fox yesterday that she wants all the swing states to declare Trump the winner. No, that is not a misprint or typo.
Who sold you on that theory? Link?
Yes, that Trump attorney said the STUPID out-loud! She really truly wants Joe Biden to fall on his political sword for Donald Trump's sake! Idiocy, I tell you. You can't make this crap up!
Isn't it amazing how quickly someone can run out of smart ass when the demand for a link is met?
... and how quickly said smart asses disappear soon after ...
I know that the only witness that admits to involving SCOTUS is a well known liar, but here is the claimed from the horse's mouth.
Now that's just funny.
Run down every rabbit hole that you like. It's not like we are going to delay the electoral vote or the inauguration. Objecting to legal investigations sounds just as bad as unfounded accusations of fraud do. Let the process play out.
This doesn't look like a rabbit hole.
Michigan GOP asks state board to delay certifying election results
Haven't they already played that game and it didn't work? Do they think it will work now, even if they threaten their kids and Grandkids, if any?
That has not worked with any of the others involved in the election process, and I really doubt it will work with Michigan. The folks from Michigan have balls as well, which I hope the Trump lap dogs are ready for.
You might be misunderstanding me. By "rabbit hole" I am referring to the many legal pathways to contesting the election, most of which seem to have either no basis or would fail to produce substantial change even if they were valid.
That makes much more sense, thanks.
In a similar article posted on Canada's CTV News website about the influencing of the officials by Trump to sabotage the process I read this, with which I agree fully.
So as the "legal" process of attempting to subvert an obviously irreversible election result plays out, America's proud "democracy" gets degraded and humiliated for the view of the rest of the world.
This coming Monday Michigan will certify or not certify at 1pm as will PA and Nevada will certify on Tuesday
To not certify the votes of Michigan would be unimaginable and the backlash will be swift and powerful.
Since none of Trumps gameplaying the nice way has worked to over throw the election. Now he is working on the Pentagon to remove those who would not go along with is attempt at a coup. I am sure that the Military higher ups are wise to Trumps planing, and are watching his and his new implants very carefully. If Trump thinks his attempt at a coup will be any better than his attempts to negate the election to stay in power, he will rethinking his plans behind Federal prison.
The Pentagon and our military are not as stupid as he thinks. And...they really don't love him all that much after his description of our men and women in uniform as 'losers', and think they will risk being tried for treason and whatever else and wind up in jail or perhaps execution.
As we know, he thinks he is all powerful and can do as he damned will pleases and everyone will follow him.
No. he doesn't care if everybody does, just that enough do.
The office of president is definitely not all-powerful: The courts are shutting Trump down. Because he has no legal basis for his "activities." Neither will he have any legal cause for any 'coup,' —what legality can he quote as grounds to usurp the office of another?
[comments about other members are always off topic & no value]