GOP members of Michigan's Wayne County Board of Canvassers vote against certifying election results


On Tuesday, the four-member Wayne County Board of Canvassers in Michigan failed to certify the Nov. 3 election results, with the two Republicans on the committee voting against certifying the results and the two Democrats voting in favor.
Wayne County, the largest county in Michigan and home to Detroit, is heavily Democratic. President-elect Joe Biden has a nearly 150,000-vote lead in Michigan, and Republicans have filed multiple lawsuits in the state in an attempt to keep him from being the certified winner. In Wayne County, the unofficial election results show Biden with 67.99 percent of the votes cast and President Trump with 30.59 percent.
The board's Republican chair, Monica Palmer, said during the meeting that because there are discrepancies between the number of absentee ballots recorded as being cast and the number of absentee ballots counted, "we do not have have complete and accurate information on those poll books." Democratic vice chair Jonathan Kinloch replied that "most of this is human error. ... It's not based on fraud." The Detroit Free Press notes there were unexplained discrepancies with the August primary election, and the board unanimously supported certifying the results.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Almost immediately after the vote, Michigan Republican Party Chair Laura Cox released a statement saying she was "proud that, due to the efforts of the Michigan Republican Party, the Republican National Committee, and the Trump campaign, enough evidence of irregularities and potential voter fraud was uncovered, resulting in the Wayne County Board of Canvassers refusing to certify their election results."
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes had a different take, calling the vote "an outrageous display of partisan posturing" and saying the Republican members "have chosen to tarnish their personal legacy by picking up the GOP banner of making allegations without any evidence." Disregarding the "will of the voters in Michigan is not only shameful," she added, "but a complete dereliction of duties."
Tuesday was final day for the county to certify the results, and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) said the Board of State Canvassers will take over the responsibility.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
‘Peak consumption has become the Holy Grail of the energy debate’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Nadine Menendez gets 4.5 years in bribery case
Speed Read Menendez's husband was previously sentenced to 11 years in prison
-
Koreans detained in US Hyundai raid return home
Speed Read Over 300 Koreans were detained at the plant last week
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government building
Speed Read This was Moscow's largest aerial assault since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022
-
China's Xi hosts Modi, Putin, Kim in challenge to US
Speed Read Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Asian leaders at an SCO summit
-
Russian strike on Kyiv kills 23, hits EU offices
Speed Read The strike was the second-largest since Russia invaded in 2022
-
UN votes to end Lebanon peacekeeping mission
Speed Read The Trump administration considers the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to be a 'waste of money'
-
Israeli double strike on Gaza hospital kills 20
Speed Read The dead include five journalists who worked for The Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Kyiv marks independence as Russia downplays peace
Speed Read President Vladimir Putin has no plans to meet with Zelenskyy for peace talks pushed by President Donald Trump
-
Trump halts Gaza visas as Israelis protest war
Speed Read Laura Loomer voiced her concerns over injured Palestinian kids being brought to the US for treatment and a potential 'Islamic invasion'