One Board Member In Michigan Still Refuses To Vote On State Certification

On Monday the Michigan Board of State Canvassers voted to certify the critical state’s election results despite President Trump’s ongoing legal challenges.

The committee voted 3-0 in favor of certification. Republican board member Norman Shinkle chose not to vote but instead called for an overhaul of Michigan’s elections procedures.

Ahead of the vote, Shinkle made this final statement, “I do not plan on voting for certification. I believe Wayne County’s certification process needs to be looked at. I think there’s serious problems with it.”

During his final statement, Shinkle pleaded with Michigan to modernize its election procedures. He made note of Florida’s efforts to update its recount procedures after the 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore.

“It is my greatest hope that after the next election, this board will be able to certify the results in an environment where there are no unanswered questions or suspicions that our election was in any way compromised,” he said. “All citizens need to be assured that Michigan is conducting clean, accurate, and professional elections.”

Earlier this month, President-elect Joe Biden secured a projected victory in Michigan which lead to the 270 electoral vote threshold necessary to win the presidential election. President Trump, however, has yet to concede the race while his attorneys have made allegations of fraud in Michigan and several other states.

Trump’s senior legal campaign advisor Jenna Ellis said in a statement, “Certification by state officials is simply a procedural step. We are going to continue combatting election fraud around the country as we fight to count all the legal votes. Americans must be assured that the final results are fair and legitimate.”

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson disagrees with the Trump campaign’s fraud claims saying the vote proved that “democracy has prevailed.”

“Today’s vote of the State Board of Canvassers to certify Michigan’s November election confirms the truth: the election was fair and secure, and the results accurately reflect the will of the voters. A record-breaking 5.5 million Michigan citizens cast ballots in this election, more than ever before in our state’s history,” said Benson.

“Their will is clear and unequivocal,” she added.

Michelle Anzaldi, a clerk of the Pittsfield Election Commission, says the officials worked very hard to make sure the election ran as smoothly as possible and while there was no evidence of voter fraud, officials had identified “lots of human errors” that could have been avoided.