KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Wyoming Mayor Kent Vanderwood appeared in court Tuesday afternoon for his first major hearing after he was charged for an alleged false elector scheme.
A total of 16 people face charges, which include forgery, election law forgery and uttering and publishing.
Vanderwood is accused of meeting in secret with his 15 co-defendants at the Michigan GOP headquarters after the 2020 election. They allegedly submitted certificates to the U.S. Senate and National Archives with the goal of granting the state’s electoral votes to their preferred candidate over President Biden, who won in Michigan.
Tuesday morning, court officials heard from a senior staff attorney who works at the federal register.
"We received what appeared to be an attempt to vote for the state of Michigan, to cast votes, for the Republican candidate on behalf of the state of Michigan," says Mirian Vincent. "It did not come from the actual state of Michigan; it did not come from any official state offices, the state legislator, the governor, or the SOS office, so it did not come from an official source."
Testimony went on until late afternoon. It will continue Wednesday. When it ends, a judge will determine if the evidence is sufficient to send the case to circuit court.
If found guilty, Vanderwood may spend decades in prison.
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