FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan

November 17, 2020

Contact: Sam Inglot, 616-916-0574, sam@progressmichigan.org

Statement on Racist, Partisan Power Grab by GOP Wayne County BOC Members 

MICHIGAN — Progress Michigan Executive Director Lonnie Scott released the following statement regarding the Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers refusing to certify the November election results:

“Republican Board of Canvassers’ refusal to certify Wayne County election results is a racist attempt to disenfranchise Black voters in Detroit — Monica Palmer said it herself when she suggested they certify all results except for Detroit. Livonia, which is primarily white, was mentioned by staff as having the second highest number of out of balance precincts, but Palmer said she would still certify their results. This is a racist, right-wing power grab fueled by partisan politics and Trump’s last-ditch efforts to ignore the will of the people. Republicans want to use unbalanced precincts to indicate something nefarious, but they are all human errors that hold no bearing on accurate election results and have happened in communities across Michigan throughout numerous elections. Canvassing boards for decades have certified election results which included unbalanced precincts. Unbalanced precincts do not mean an inaccurate count: all the votes have been counted but there was a human error in the paperwork. What happened at the Wayne County Board of Canvassers meeting was racist, partisan and an unprecedented move to ignore the will of the people.”

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