Election officials in Ann Arbor, Michigan, are pushing back on election fraud claims from Kristina Karamo, the Republican candidate who lost her bid for the Michigan secretary of state seat.
In early morning posts on Twitter and the right-wing social media platform Truth Social founded by former President Donald Trump, Karamo attacked the Ann Arbor city clerk, who oversees elections.
Karamo claimed voters were able to cast ballots even if they arrived at the polls after 8 p.m. local time, when polls closed. She alleged that voters were still being registered at 10:30 p.m.
She also said a voter with an address discrepancy was allowed to vote absentee, and someone who now lives in Michigan was able to vote Tuesday night in Ann Arbor after her absentee ballot did not arrive from Colorado.
Ann Arbor City Clerk Jacqueline Beaudry dismissed Karamo’s claims, saying in an email to CNN that there are “strong protocols in place to protect the integrity of our elections.”
Beaudry said there were long lines at three polling locations on election night. Voters in line by 8 p.m. at all those locations were given a “ticket” that allowed them to vote. Staff were present to “monitor lines and further ensure no individuals joined the lines after 8 p.m.,” she said.
“Michigan residents are allowed to register and vote on Election Day,” Beaudry said, adding that voters who recently moved to the state have to show proof of a 30-day residency to register and vote.
Refuting Karamo’s claim that the city didn’t publicly post absentee ballot totals by 9 p.m., Beaudry noted that information was made available at city hall on Election Day.
A spokesperson for the Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson called Karamo’s allegations “meritless.”
“For years, election deniers have made meritless, false and often nonsensical claims to sow seeds of doubt about Michigan elections in the minds of voters. These claims have been disproven time and again by Republican, Democratic, and independent election officials across the state, numerous courts and hundreds of audits, and our office will continue to debunk such claims in the days and weeks ahead,” the spokesperson, Jake Rollow, told CNN.
But Karamo claims she is only concerned that fraud is happening, saying, “We are not election deniers or threats to democracy.”
Benson on Tuesday night told reporters “there were no widespread or major disruptions” in Tuesday’s elections and that “any minor issues were addressed quickly and without stopping voters from casting their ballots.”
Source: www.cnn.com