‘When will the madness end?’ -- Michigan Auditor General requests some counties review 2020 election results again

‘Our elections are some of the safest and most secure in the nation,’ says Ingham County clerk

LANSING, Mich. – Several Michigan county clerks are concerned a state agency is being used as a political tool to perpetuate the “Big Lie” in order to discredit the 2020 General Election.

Related: Trust Index: Fact-checking claims regarding Michigan’s 2020 election

Clerks are confused, frustrated and want to know why they’re being asked to do another review of the 2020 General Election.

Ingham County clerk Barb Byrum wrote on Twitter Friday that she was being required to re-audit the 2020 election for Michigan Auditor General’s office.

“When will the madness end?” she tweeted.

Related: Michigan officials still fighting spread of misinformation ahead of August primary election

“If they have questions about the safety and security of our elections, it would be lovely if they would reach out to a certified election official and ask questions first,” Bryum said. “Our elections are some of the safest and most secure in the nation. And it is unfortunate that the Office of Auditor General is doing an end around with the Attorney General.”

Read: 2020 election ‘most secure in American history,’ according to Department of Homeland Security, more groups

The additional audits appear to violate an opinion of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, which said the Auditor General does not have the authority to audit at a county level.

“I don’t think it’s necessary. The Secretary of State will tell you that over 250 audits have already been done and there’s been no discrepancies found,” Nessel said Sunday. “We haven’t found that there were any issues with the election.”

County clerks have told Local 4 that they have been unable to get concrete explanations of how the review is anything other than a recount or audit.

Reviews of the 2020 Senate Race have been requested by the Auditor General’s Office in several counties around Metro Detroit, including Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Ingham counties. Those races have been audited multiple times and have been certified by local and state canvassers and U.S. Congress.

Related: ‘Zero credibility’ -- New report from Michigan GOP Senate members debunks claims of vote fraud

Local 4 reached out to the Michigan Auditor General’s Office for an explanation but did not receive a response back.

“It’s extremely frustrating because this is the result of our elected officials, some former presidents and some state representatives claiming that our elections are not accurate. And in Michigan, we run some of the most safest and secure elections in the country,” Byrum said.

The county clerks have been told the work the Auditor General’s Office is doing should be completed in January, more than a year since the 2020 election was decided.

Related: GOP review finds no proof Arizona election stolen


About the Authors:

Dane is a producer and media enthusiast. He previously worked freelance video production and writing jobs in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.