LANSING, Mich. — Lawmakers from both the state Senate and House submitted a letter to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson Monday afternoon calling for a full, independent audit of the 2020 election results.
The letter follows up on the strong request from Sens. Theis and Barrett last week.
“We have seen a number of allegations that range from outright fraud, if true, to terrible mistakes that need to be corrected,” said Sen. Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton. “Never in my life have I seen such dismay and a lack of trust in our elections. I call on Secretary of State Benson to help mend these wounds and give people some peace of mind about the recent election.”
The letter outlines issues experienced in Antrim County, where thousands of ballots were miscounted and totals were credited to the incorrect candidate.
“When the last reporting county delivers election results so surprising, combined with dozens of witnesses saying they saw major foundational problems at all levels of this election, the Legislature has to act,” said Rep. Matt Maddock, R-Milford.
The letter also outlines allegations of election officials critically mishandling numerous ballots, mail-in ballots being predated in order to be counted, and illegal intimidation and interference with lawful election challengers and poll watchers, among other issues.
“Every voter deserves to have faith in the integrity of the election process and its outcome,” said Sen. Lana Theis, R-Brighton. “It is our responsibility, as elected public servants, to assure the people of Michigan of the process’s integrity through complete transparency and the faithful investigation of any allegations of wrongdoing, fraud or abuse. Unfortunately, a number of serious allegations have been made that cannot and should not be ignored.”
The letter was submitted to Benson by lawmakers Monday afternoon.