An hour ago, and up against the deadline, Wayne County (Detroit and suburbs) Board of Canvassers split on a 2-2 vote on party lines on certifying the election, which means it is not certified and will be passed back to the State Board of Canvassers, which similarly has a 2 Republican, 2 Democrat makeup.
In a statement, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said:
In refusing to approve the results of the election in Wayne County, the two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers have placed partisan politics above their legal duty to certify the election results. The people have spoken: Joe Biden won Michigan by more than 140,000 votes. Today’s action is a blatant attempt to undermine the will of the voters. The process, however, will move forward. Under Michigan law, the Board of State of Canvassers will now finish the job and I have every expectation they will certify the results when the job is done.
According to Attorney Steven Liedel:
Impact of 2 members of Wayne Co Bd of Canvassers ignoring legal duty:
(1) Disenfranchises nearly 900k voters;
(2) Wayne Co taxpayers pay $ for state to finish work;
(3) Delay/denial of any recounts;
(4) Possible criminal charges against Bd members under MCL 168.931.
One of the Republican Commissioners said she would have no problem certifying the rest of the county, just not Detroit!
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2020 · 1:48:27 AM +00:00 · memiller
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson:
Michigan’s Bureau of Elections stands ready to fulfill its duty to complete the canvas for Wayne County, address any clerical errors and improve the quality of the canvass overall. Importantly, this is not an indication that any votes were improperly cast or tabulated.
Wednesday, Nov 18, 2020 · 2:33:20 AM +00:00 · memiller
WOW! WHIPLASH!
BREAKING: The Wayne County Board of Canvassers has just unanimously voted to certify the results of the election & called on Michigan SOS Jocelyn Benson to conduct an audit of the unexplained precincts in Wayne County that did not match.