Detroit mayor count in chaos as Wayne County refuses to certify primary results

[alp227]

Last edited Wed Aug 21, 2013, 11:38 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: Detroit Free Press

A state election panel will have to decide who really won the Detroit mayoral primary after Wayne County election officials on Tuesday refused to certify shocking new election results, which would have invalidated about 20,000 votes and handed the primary win to Benny Napoleon instead of Mike Duggan.

The county board was debating whether to invalidate more than 20,000 write-in votes that were not recorded at polling locations using hash marks, which would cause the result of the Aug. 6 primary to be flipped — with Napoleon, the Wayne County sheriff, receiving more votes than write-in candidate Duggan.

Both political camps are now looking beyond Detroit for answers and clarification and fired off statements Tuesday that support what many observers have been predicting — that the mud will fly before November.

The board was split on whether to certify Detroit mayoral election numbers after votes were called into question because of errors by Detroit elections workers.

Read more: http://www.freep.com/article/20130820/NEWS01/308200117/benny-napeleon-mike-duggan-board-of-canvassers-primary-election

[gopiscrap]

1. wow wonder how that's going to play out!

[alfredo]

2. Have the candidates swim around Belle Isle.

The winner gets to go home, the loser has to run for mayor.

[Ford_Prefect]

3. "There were more absentee ballots cast than there were absentees."

In some ways it looks like fraud. It is not only about how the votes were recorded but whether the absentee votes were legitimate ballots in the first place. Seems to me this calls for a thorough recount.

Labor activist Robert Davis, who successfully helped challenge Duggan’s residency in order to have him removed from the ballot, said Tuesday’s disagreements were evidence that the primary election was rigged.

“ ... When you look at the number of absentee ballot applications vs. the absentee ballots that were cast, they don’t match. There were more absentee ballots cast than there were absentees.

“Either Mr. Duggan shouldn’t be on the ballot,” Davis said, “or there should be federal inspectors in here for the general election.”

[Pab Sungenis]

4. 69,933 votes cast.

Duggan's count has him with 44,395 and Napoleon with 28,352.

For a total, for just those two, of 72,747 votes. Or 3,000 more votes than voters.

In a race with more than two people on the ballot, plus a write-in.

Obviously the count giving Duggan 44,395 votes is wrong. Possibly fraudulent. Total hand recount required.