The two Republican Wayne County officials who first refused to certify the election results only to quickly change their minds after facing an onslaught of criticism now say that their change of heart was a mistake.
Wayne County Board of Canvassers Chairwoman Monica Palmer and William C. Hartmann faced accusations of racism and threats against their safety after they initially refused to certify the vote, citing discrepancies in the number of ballots recorded as cast and the number of ballots counted. Hours after the deadlock in the Detroit-area county was announced, they agreed to certify the vote on Tuesday, only to rescind it Wednesday evening.
“I voted not to certify, and I still believe this vote should not be certified. Until these questions are addressed, I remain opposed to certification of the Wayne County results,” Hartmann said in his affidavits, published by Just The News. In her affidavit, Palmer said, “I rescind my prior vote to certify Wayne County elections.”
“The comments made accusations of racism and threatened me and members of my family,” her affidavit continued.
Eighty-five of Detroit’s 503 Election Day precincts reported unexplained voter discrepancies in the number of ballots recorded compared to the number of them counted. The same can be said for 94 of the city’s 134 absent voter counting boards, although a significant majority were off by three or fewer votes, according to the Detroit Free Press. Only 10 Election Day precincts and 43 counting boards were off by four or more votes.
Palmer and Hartmann said they agreed to certify the vote as long as an audit of the election was performed. They said they learned that no audit would occur on Wednesday and that it was part of their decision to rescind their support for certification.
“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. Despite repeated requests I have not received the requisite information and believe an additional 10 days of canvas by the State Board of canvassers will help provide the information necessary,” Palmer said in her affidavit.
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, Palmer said her vote was not meant as an attempt to disenfranchise a predominantly black community, an accusation she faced during the deadlock.
“My ‘no’ vote on the certification was not taking votes away from anybody,” she said. “I was allowing the state to find the correct information and explanations which did not happen. We were not delaying the inevitable. We always knew that the margin of victory was not going to change. The purpose of the canvas is to obtain complete and accurate documentation and verify vote totals.”
The county has been at the center of several lawsuits, including a federal lawsuit by the Trump campaign. The campaign has filed suits in a handful of battleground states that went for President-elect Joe Biden during the Nov. 3 election. They are alleging widespread voter fraud and voter irregularities, although proof has yet to confirm such allegations.
According to the latest unofficial tally, Biden won the state of Michigan by about 146,000 votes.
