Michigan’s bipartisan election panel officially certified the results of the 2022 mid-term elections on Monday in a unanimous 4-0 decision. Across the state, all 83 county canvassing boards signed off on their results. The state board stressed that their role is ministerial and said that those unhappy with the administration of the election have multiple avenues of recourse available: they can request a recount, file lawsuits and refer claims of wrongdoing to law enforcement.
The state canvassers repeatedly asked Michigan elections director Jonathan Brater to explain basic election procedures in an effort to educate those attending the meeting and tuning in virtually through a livestream.
- In 2020, then-GOP state canvasser Norm Shinkle abstained from certifying the election while Republican Aaron Van Langevelde joined the two Democrats on the panel to accept the results, angering some in his party.
This year a new cast of characters, led by chairman Tony Daunt, a Republican, took comments from the public and losing GOP candidates, and removed one individual by police escort. The panel took a short recess as there was continued bickering in the crowd. One woman in a red hat called for prayer to calm things down.
The board also heard from failed GOP Secretary of State candidate Kristina Karamo who was defeated soundly by Jocelyn Benson. Karamo said she was “totally against the certification of this election.” She said that she wasn’t protesting the certification of the vote because she’s “upset” but because “our freedom is hanging in the balance here.”
Another woman came forward at the end of the meeting who yelled at the canvassers that the truth would come out. “The cabal will not protect you,” she said, using language evocative of the QAnon conspiracy that falsely asserts that the government is run by a “deep state” cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles.
Daunt blasted those who doubt the integrity of elections, saying “a lot of the questions that arise are from lack of proper understanding which is unfortunately fed by candidates and party officials on both sides of the aisle who feed into this nonsense, who make these claims that fire everybody up because it’s a short-term gain for them and that’s dangerous to our system. And me talking about this is essentially trying to put out a forest fire with a Dixie cup right now.”
Freep
