More than a thousand “phantom ballots” were discovered in Antrim County, Michigan, according to a local attorney in a 2020 election lawsuit alleging fraud in the contest six months after it took place.
Matthew DePerno, who is representing Antrim County resident William Bailey, said a recount in December tallied 15,962 ballots, but only 14,901 votes were shown in the Michigan secretary of state’s database, meaning 1,061 don’t exist on voter rolls.
This alleged discovery of “phantom ballots,” DePerno wrote in a recent filing, supports the need for an audit of the county results. Other irregularities that warrant a closer look, according to DePerno, are data showing a near 100% turnout among voters aged 65 to 80 and 1 in 5 ballots being sent to P.O. boxes.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Michigan secretary of state’s office for comment on where the data for the “phantom ballots” can be found.
“Plaintiff has provided no actual evidence of this claim because there is no such database showing such a discrepancy,” said MDOS spokesperson Jake Rollow. “The December hand tally of all ballots cast for president in Antrim County was carried out by bipartisan officials and it showed that the county’s vote counting machines were extremely accurate. Any suggestion to the contrary is false and should be considered misinformation being used to undermine all American citizens’ faith in our collective democracy.”
Former President Donald Trump appears to be keeping up with the latest in the case. He issued a statement about it Monday evening.
SHERIFF WARNS MARICOPA COUNTY ELECTION AUDIT DEMANDS ‘JEOPARDIZE’ LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES
“The major Michigan Election Fraud case has just filed a bombshell pleading claiming votes were intentionally switched from President Trump to Joe Biden,” he said in a statement shared by his Save America PAC. “The number of votes is MASSIVE and determinative. This will prove true in numerous other States. All Republicans must UNIFY and not let this happen. If a thief robs a jewelry store of all of its diamonds (the 2020 Presidential Election), the diamonds must be returned. The Fake News media refuses to cover the greatest Election Fraud in the history of our Country. They have lost all credibility, but ultimately, they will have no choice!”
Attorneys made arguments before Antrim County Circuit Judge Kevin Elsenheimer in a virtual hearing on Monday over the scope of the ever-expanding lawsuit and whether to dismiss the case, in which both sides have issued dueling analyses. Defendants, which includes Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, say the plaintiff lacks standing and has already received everything he initially sought from the court. The judge said he will likely make a decision next week.
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The results in Antrim County, a Republican-leaning county in northern Michigan, initially showed President Joe Biden winning the race, but tabulation errors were quickly discovered, and once rectified, Trump was shown to be the victor. State and county officials have blamed human error, a failure to properly update software across the county, for the mishap, but Bailey and DePerno contend Dominion Voting Systems machines could have been used to manipulate the election. Dominion has denied claims of being involved in election maleficence and has filed multiple defamation lawsuits since the November election.
A hand recount in Antrim County found a deviation of just a dozen votes from the first tabulation, with 9,759 votes won by Trump and 5,959 going to Biden, who won the state of Michigan and its 16 Electoral College votes by roughly 150,000 ballots. DePerno also raised concerns about two volunteers for the recount that he says were told by a Michigan secretary of state official to count roughly 138 ballots they found with “the very same signature in Central Lake Township.”
