The Michigan State Board of Canvassers voted Monday to certify the results of the state’s presidential election in which President-elect Joe Biden emerged victorious, dealing a major blow to President Donald Trump’s efforts to fight the results.
Two Democrats on the four-member board, Janet Bradshaw and Julie Matuzak, joined her two Republicans, Aaron van Langewalde, to vote in favor of the certificate. Another member of the Republican board, Norman Schinkle, resigned.
NBC News and other major news organizations have proposed Biden as the winner in Michigan, where they will let Trump win by more than 2,000 million votes.
The board voted to call on state legislatures, including Michigan, to name Trump voters in the states won by Biden, Trump’s allies and lawyers. They have made vain claims about irregularities and discrepancies in Watt County, including the exclusion of Wayne County, which includes Detroit and its large black population.
Shortly before the vote, Schinkle explained that he was not far off in areas like Detroit and because of concerns about whether the Republican poll has adequate oversight and how the election was conducted.
“I don’t plan to vote for the certificate. I think it’s important to pay attention to Wayne County’s certification,” Schinkle said. Democratic members of the committee and the county clerks who testified, however, insisted that there were no unusual irregularities in the election.
Trump last week invited Republican state legislators from Michigan – state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirky and House Speaker Lee Chatfield – to the White House last week. Critics saw it as an attempt to influence the certification process, but lawmakers later said they were “unaware of any information that could alter the election results in Michigan.”
The state’s top Democrats praised the certificate Monday.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, praised the certificate in a tweet Monday.
“Democracy has won. Today’s vote by the State Board of Canvassers to certify Michigan’s November election confirms the truth: the election was fair and safe, and the results accurately reflect the will of the voters,” he said.
Michigan Governorate. Gretchen Whitmer, also a Democrat, celebrates the move by issuing a statement.
“I applaud the three members of the State Board of Canvassers who voted to follow the law and certify the 2020 election results today. “The people of Michigan have spoken,” he said.
Biden’s team welcomed the news in a statement, calling it a definite reminder of “simple facts.”
Biden’s spokesman Ben Hale said: “President-elect Joe Biden won the state of Michigan in 2016 with a margin of more than 150,000 votes, up from Donald Trump’s 14-fold margin.” “We thank the State of Michigan for its support, and look forward to receiving its 16 electoral votes.”
The Trump campaign rejected the certificate as a “procedural step.” We continue to fight electoral fraud across the country as we fight to count all legal votes. Americans must be assured that the end results are fair and legitimate. “
Pennsylvania is also expected to certify its election results on Monday, as the Trump campaign continues its frivolous legal battle there. Over the weekend, the campaign moved away from Sidney Powell, one of the lawyers involved in the effort, after he made false allegations about voter fraud during an interview with Newsmax.
Marianna Sotomayor Contributed.
