2 Wayne County Canvassers Seek To Reverse Election Certification

WAYNE COUNTY, MI — Two members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers are seeking to reverse their votes to certify election ballots for a second time, according to an affidavit.

Wayne County Board of Canvassers Chair Monica Palmer and William Hartmann — two Republicans who first deadlocked the board's vote to certify election results 2-2 before eventually opting to certify the results under the condition unbalanced precincts are audited — filed affidavits Wednesday night demanding they be able to rescind their votes for certification.

"The Wayne County election had serious process flaws which deserve investigation," Palmer said in her affidavit. "I continue to ask for information to assure Wayne County voters that these elections were conducted fairly and accurately.”

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The initial vote Tuesday was along party lines, with Palmer and Hartmann voting against certification while Board Vice Chair Jonathan Kinloch and Allen Wilson, both Democrats, voted in favor of certification.

The board's decision to certify the election results came after Republican members of the board were criticized after a suggestion that all of Wayne County should be certified aside from the city of Detroit.

Palmer said during the meeting she did not have full confidence in how votes were calculated due to a high number of out of balance absentee ballot books and said all votes outside the city of Detroit — where the majority of unbalanced books were found — should be certified.

During the public comment period, several callers had harsh words for the board's decision. The move was questioned as being racially motivated by one board member, considering the city's majority Black population.

"I just want to let you know that the Trump stink and stain of racism that you, William Hartmann and Monica Palmer, have just covered yourself in is going to follow you throughout history," local resident Ned Staebler told the board members. "Your grandchildren are going to think of you like Bull Connor or George Wallace. Monica Palmer and William Hartmann will forever be known in southeastern Michigan as two racists who did something so unprecedented that they disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of Black voters in the city of Detroit."

Read More: Detroiters Speak Up After Deadlock Vote On Election Certification

Trump took to Twitter to share his dismay with Detroit residents speaking out at the meeting, saying the two dissenting board members were "forced" to change their vote.

"At first they voted against because there were far more VOTES than PEOPLE (Sad!)," Trump tweeted. "Then they were threatened, screamed at and viciously harassed, and were FORCED to change their vote, but then REFUSED, as American patriots, to sign the documents. 71% MESS. Don't Harass!"

Palmer said she felt threatened by some of the statements made during the public comment portion of the meeting.

"After the vote, public comment period began and dozens of people made personal remarks against me and Mr.. Hartmann," Palmer said. "The comments made accusations of racism and threatened me and members of my family. The public comment continued for over two hours and I felt pressured to continue the meeting without break."

Both Republicans reiterated statements made during Tuesday's meeting in their affidavits.

Palmer cited some precincts in Detroit being "severely out of balance," as reported by the county elections director, as being particularly troublesome.

"I fully believe the Wayne County vote should not be verified," she said.

In the signed affidavits, Palmer and Hartmann both said they would not have voted for certification had there not been assurance that Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson conduct a full audit of out-of-balance precincts.

"I voted not to certify, and I still believe this vote should not be certified," Hartmann wrote.