Republicans in key Michigan county ask to rescind votes to certify election

Republican members of the Board of Canvassers in Wayne County, Mich., asked to rescind their votes to certify the election one day after casting them during a contentious meeting. 

The board’s GOP chairwoman, Monica Palmer, and board member William Hartmann signed affidavits on Wednesday stating that they only voted for the certification because other members promised a full audit of the county’s votes.

Palmer’s affidavit stated that “the Wayne County election had serious process flaws which deserve investigation. I continue to ask for information to assure Wayne County voters that these elections were conducted fairly and accurately.”

“Late in the evening, I was enticed to agree to certify based on the promise that a full and independent audit would take place. I would not have agreed to the certification but for the promise of an audit,” reads Hartmann’s affidavit.

It’s unclear what effects, if any, the two affidavits will have, as the board members already voted unanimously Tuesday night to certify the election results in the heavily Democratic county, which includes Detroit, Michigan’s largest city.

The two Republicans initially sought to delay certification, including in one instance  by moving during Tuesday’s proceedings to certify results from all parts of the county except Detroit.

The move provoked vocal outrage from Detroit residents during the Zoom proceedings and a swift condemnation from Detroit’s mayor, Mike Duggan (D).

“You could see the racism in the behavior last night,” the mayor said at a press conference on Wednesday. “American democracy cracked last night, but it didn’t break. But we are seeing a real threat to everything we believe in.”

Earlier this week, President-elect Joe Biden had a nearly 150,000-vote lead over President Trump in Michigan, which was called in Biden’s favor, and a nearly 40-point lead in Wayne County.

Updated at 8:55 a.m.