Michigan to Perform ‘Zero-Margin Risk-Limiting' Audit in Antrim County

Michigan to Perform ‘Zero-Margin Risk-Limiting' Audit in Antrim County
A worker with the Detroit Department of Elections helps stack empty boxes used to organize absentee ballots after nearing the end of the absentee ballot count at the Central Counting Board in the TCF Center in Detroit, Mich. on Nov. 4, 2020. Elaine Cromie/Getty Images
Isabel van Brugen
Updated:

The Michigan Bureau of Elections announced Wednesday that will conduct a “zero-margin risk-limiting” audit in Antrim County as part of what the state called the “most comprehensive” post-election audit in its history.

According to preliminary plans released by the state’s Bureau of Elections, a long-planned statewide risk-limiting audit will be carried out, as well as a complete zero-margin audit this month in Antrim County—which was flagged last month by GOP officials as having switched 6,000 votes from President Donald Trump to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden before it was corrected.

“The Michigan Bureau of Elections released preliminary plans for the most comprehensive post-election audits of any election in state history, including a statewide risk-limiting audit, a complete zero-margin risk-limiting audit in Antrim County, and procedural audits in more than 200 jurisdictions statewide, including absentee ballot counting boards,” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office said in statement on Wednesday.

Benson said that audits conducted post-election seek to review election procedure and affirm public confidence.

“By conducting the most comprehensive set of audits in our state’s history, the Bureau of Elections and Michigan’s more than 1,600 local election clerks are demonstrating the integrity of our election,” Benson added.

Antrim County’s zero-margin risk-limiting audit of the Nov. 3 election will be conducted by the bureau and county officials. The audit was described by the state as “essentially a hand tally of every ballot, which can be compared with the machine-tabulated results.”

The news comes a day after Michigan Department of State spokesman Jake Rollow accused a “group” of spreading false information regarding the integrity of Dominion Voting Systems voting equipment in Antrim County on Sunday.
Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis told Fox Business on Monday that an “independent team” took part in a forensic audit of Dominion Voting Systems and equipment in the county over the weekend following the switching of votes. Dominion officials and its CEO have said it’s impossible to switch votes from one candidate to another. The Michigan Secretary of State’s office said the votes were flipped due to human error by an Antrim county clerk.
Antrim County clerk Sheryl Guy, county administrator Pete Garwood, county attorney Haider Kazim, three county commissioners, a county IT technician, and a sheriff’s department member were there when the forensic examination took place on Sunday, said Antrim County spokesman Jeremy Scott to MLive. Seven members of Allied Security Operations were also present.
Trump’s legal team has previously pointed to witness testimony alleging that election results from Dominion Voting Systems are susceptible to manipulation—an allegation that the company has repeatedly denied.

Dominion has not yet responded to a request from The Epoch Times for comment and declined to appear before a state legislative hearing when requested.

Officials with Antrim County have not responded to a request for comment.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
Isabel van Brugen
Isabel van Brugen
Reporter
Isabel van Brugen is an award-winning journalist. She holds a master's in newspaper journalism from City, University of London.
twitter
Related Topics