Wayne County Judge Rejects Request For Detroit Election Audit

MICHIGAN — A Wayne County judge has rejected a lawsuit that aimed to stop the certification of Detroit-area election results.

Wayne County Judge Timothy Kenny on Friday rejected the lawsuit, which in part, took issue with the city's handling of absentee ballots.

"Plaintiff's interpretation of events is incorrect and not credible," Kenny wrote in his ruling.

Numerous affidavits from election challengers "paint a picture of sinister fraudulent activities occurring both openly in the TCF Center and under the cloak of darkness," Kenny said.

But those claims are contradicted by Christopher Thomas, a highly-respected former state elections director who spent hours at the center and presented different accounts.

"Perhaps if Plaintiff's election challenger affiants had attended the October 29, 2020, walk-through of the TCF Center ballot counting location, questions and concerns could have been answered in advance of Election Day," the judge said in his ruling.

Democratic President-elect Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump by 146,000 votes in Michigan during the general election, according to unofficial election results. Michigan counties and the state Board of Canvassers have yet to certify the election results, however.

Friday's ruling marks the third time a judge has declined intervening in the process to confirm election results in Michigan. Other lawsuits filed by Trump's campaign sought to stop the counting of ballots and asked for challengers to have additional access to ballot processing.

The lawsuit rejected on Friday claimed Republican challengers were removed from the TCF Center in Detroit while absentee ballots were being processed. It also claimed ballots were backdated and that signatures on ballot envelopes were not verified.

Election officials have said they allowed the maximum number of poll watchers for both political parties, with the only restrictions being put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In interviews with workers at the TCF Center in Detroit, where ballots were counted, election officials told Patch of few irregularities, instead noting only "aggressive" and uninformed challengers.