Voters ask Michigan legislature to audit election results and call SOS under oath

LANSING, Michigan (WWMT) — Two Michigan voters affiliated with the group Black Voices for Trump filed a petition to the Michigan State Legislature on Friday calling on it to audit the state’s election results and subpoena Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson under oath to discuss alleged election irregularities.

President-elect Joe Biden won Michigan by a margin of 154,000 votes, according to results certified by the Board of State Canvassers.

In the petition, Angelic Johnson and Linda Lee Tarver stated that in their opinion the Secretary of State and the Director of Elections “have failed in their primary duty to conduct a free and fair election in accordance with the existing laws of the State of Michigan.”

The petition calls on lawmakers to conduct an audit to ensure that only “legitimate and not illegitimate votes” are counted.

In a lawsuit filed on November 26, 2020, the group alleged that more than 500,000 illegal ballots were cast in the election.

Election officials from both parties, including Secretary of State Benson, said there was no evidence of wrongdoing.

The group said Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson does not have the authority to send an absentee ballot application to every voter in Michigan.

A Michigan appeals court upheld that mandate in September.

They also argued that it did not have the authority to allow online applications for mail-in ballots without verifying signatures, which they said would lead to fraud in obtaining mail-in ballots.

A judge in the state of Michigan also confirmed this authorization a week before election day.

In their petition to the Michigan Legislature, they demand that the legislature conduct an audit of the state’s election results and order the Secretary of State to appear under oath and answer questions about alleged irregularities.

In a statement, Jake Rollow, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of State, said: “The election in Michigan was secure, fair and transparent and the results accurately reflect the will of Michigan voters. Senior members of the Trump administration, including Attorney General William Barr, the FBI and CISA, have confirmed that this was the most secure election in history and there is no evidence of voter fraud on any scale that could have overturned the outcome of the presidential election. No evidence of widespread voter fraud was found in Michigan. Michigan’s November election will be fully audited in accordance with state law, our state constitution and the facts and data of the election.”