Judge rejects claims of election violations in Detroit

A judge has thrown out a lawsuit that challenged voting by absentee ballot in Detroit, saying a Republican candidate for secretary of state failed to produce any evidence of violations

Election 2022 Michigan Governor (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

A judge threw out a lawsuit Monday that challenged voting by absentee ballot in Detroit, saying a Republican candidate for secretary of state failed to produce any evidence of violations.

“Plaintiffs have raised a red flag of election law violations and corruption concerning Detroit's procedures for the November 8th election. This court's ruling takes down that flag,” Wayne County Judge Tim Kenny wrote.

Kristina Karamo and others sued to try to force Detroit residents to vote in person or go to the city clerk's office to get an absentee ballot.

They filed a lawsuit 13 days before Tuesday's election, making a variety of allegations about how Detroit reviews signatures on absentee ballots and monitors drop-off boxes. The lawsuit, among other things, also claimed the city was using “uncertified high-speed tabulators” to count votes.

“Despite plaintiffs' arguments to ‘shed light in a dark place,’ they have failed dramatically,” the judge said. “Over an eight-hour evidentiary hearing, no evidence of election law violations” was revealed.

Kenny noted that Detroit elections administrator Daniel Baxter and former Michigan elections director Chris Thomas testified about how the city performs its job.

Approximately 60,000 Detroit voters had submitted an absentee ballot by last Thursday, Kenny said.

“While it is easy to hurl accusations of violations of law and corruption, it is another matter to come forward and produce the evidence our Constitution and laws require,” the judge said.

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