LANSING, Mich. — In a statement issued addressing the aftermath of Michigan’s general election, state Attorney General Dana Nessel listed specific cases her office investigated.
The cases included an absentee ballot that had been signed fraudulently, reports of voter fraud that turned out to be bogus, and cease and desist orders sent to organizations and individuals “spreading misinformation.”
- A man in Canton Township faces felony charges that he filled out a forged his daughter’s signature on an absentee ballot and turned it in to the township clerk’s office. The incident had been reported to the Secretary of State and is being investigated. The vote was voided.
- Five cease and desist letters were issued to groups and individuals who were spreading allegations that poll workers in Detroit were trained to commit illegal acts during ballot counting. Among the misinformation the AG cited was a heavily YouTube video of what was claimed to be a poll worker training session, heavily edited to convey “a fraudulent message.”
- Investigation of claims of voter fraud in the Upper Peninsula by the Marquette Police Department. One man admitted that he posted on Facebook post a completely false claim that he filled out and turned in about 300 voter ballots that had been sent to his rental properties. He told police he created the post “to stir people up.”
- Claims of election fraud by a Detroit resident turned out to be a bad joke, Nessel stated. In a Facebook post, the resident claimed he worked for Wayne County and threw away thousands of ballots supporting President Trump. The man admitted he made it all up.
These activities “purposefully interfere with our election and ballot-counting processes is criminal behavior that will not be tolerated,” Nessel said in the release. “Michigan has multiple layers of review throughout our election process that make it very difficult for a bad actor to commit fraud, which is why it so seldom occurs.”
Michigan Secretary of State web site of election fact checks
