LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Lana Theis on Wednesday delivered a letter to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson signed by over 32,000 Michigan residents requesting an independent audit of the Nov. 3 general election.
“Free and fair elections are a cornerstone of our constitutional republic,” said Theis, R-Brighton. “In order for an election to be fair, the process must be honest, and the result must be true. Without trustworthy elections our system will fail. All of us, regardless of political ideology, must be able to trust the execution and result of every election, every time. That is why tens of thousands of Michigan residents have joined in calling for an independent audit of the Nov. 3 election.”
The letter comes on the heels of a request from the bipartisan Wayne County Board of Canvassers, which also called for an independent audit, as well as a letter submitted by 39 state lawmakers on Monday similarly calling for an audit. Last week, Sen. Theis and Sen. Tom Barrett submitted their own request for audit.
Legislators cited three main reasons for the need to audit the election: errors made by the Antrim County clerk’s office; multiple accounts of election officials mishandling ballots in various, egregious ways; and reports of poll challenger intimidation and interference.
“The uncertainty of the Nov. 3 election underscores our need as Michiganders to ensure its accuracy, not only for today but for the future health of our democracy,” Theis said. “We should not cease in our efforts until our elections are free from fraud and suspicious voting irregularities.”
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