Republican challengers file appeal in attempt to stop election certification
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Nov 19, 2020
Board Vice Chairman Jonathan Kinloch, a Democrat, called the Republicans "reckless and irresponsible" over the vote.
On Tuesday, the four-member Wayne County Board of Canvassers in MI failed to certify the November 3 election results, with the two Republicans on the committee voting against certifying the results and the two Democrats voting in favor. Put that on your ballot and cast that as a vote.
The two Democrats on the panel voted to certify the results, while the two Republicans voted against it.
The canvassing board of a MI county voted against certifying the results of the election because of two Republican members, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) lashed out with the expected insult.
In addition to certifying the results, the board also voted to direct Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) to "do a comprehensive audit of the out-of-balance precincts", Gray tweeted.
But this year, Trump's refusal to concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden and ongoing litigation have heightened interest in the process, which involves officials in each of Michigan's 83 counties using poll books and voter lists to check computer-generated vote totals and audit for any errors.
Unbalanced precincts can not be recounted by law, and have historically been attributed to human error. The largest discrepancy of unbalanced votes was in Livonia, where 27 more ballots were counted than what was on record in a precinct.
"I would be open to a motion to certify communities other than the city of Detroit" Palmer said, referring to other parts of Wayne County.
Board members Allen Wilson and Kinloch, both Democrats, said their colleagues' initial votes were politically motivated.
It isn't the first time out-of-balance precincts have raised concerns in Detroit, as MI election law doesn't allow recounts of precincts where poll books don't match the number of ballots cast.
Most of the unbalanced Wayne County precincts reported to the board Tuesday were off by three or four votes. Similar issues cropped up during the primary and 2016 election. The county board must turn over all documentation to the Secretary of State's office and Board of State Canvassers, which then has 10 days to complete the work and certify the results.
According to MI law, the Board of State Canvassers is now required to deal with the results from Wayne County within 10 days.
The Republican chair of the board, Monica Palmer, explained why she had earlier voted against certification.
