Michigan court rejects appeal for 'independent audit' of ballots over allegations of voter fraud

The Michigan Court of Appeals on Monday ruled against an effort to conduct an "independent audit" of ballots in Wayne County, the Democratic stronghold and most populous county in the Wolverine State.

The ruling means that certification of the county's votes will move forward as scheduled, unless a higher court intervenes.

What are the details?

Officially, the Michigan Court of Appeals rejected a request to overturn a ruling made by Wayne County Circuit Chief Judge Timothy Kenny last Friday.

The request, made in a lawsuit filed by attorney David Kallman on behalf of two Wayne County voters, sought to force an "independent audit" of Wayne County's ballots, separate from the audit already being conducted by the Wayne County Board of Canvassers, according to the Detroit Free Press. The lawsuit also demanded officials stop the certification of the county's results and asked the judge to completely void the election results.

The plaintiffs argued that voter fraud had occurred, but Kenny did not buy the allegations. He called their claims "incorrect and not credible."

According to the Free Press, Kallman plans to appeal the appeals court decision to the Michigan Supreme Court. But his efforts may ultimately prove futile, since ballot certification begins Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 3 p.m.

Any other lawsuits?

As TheBlaze reported, four Michigan voters filed a separate lawsuit last week seeking to invalidate approximately 1.2 million votes.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, requested that votes in three Democratic stronghold counties — Wayne, Ingham, and Washtenaw — be tossed out over allegations of voter fraud. Plaintiffs claimed there is "sufficient evidence" that voter fraud occurred, citing "issues with transparency, fraudulent changing of dates, a software glitch, clerical errors, illegal votes, and many other issues and irregularities."

Tossing the votes would have flipped the state in President Donald Trump's favor. But on Monday, plaintiffs voluntarily withdrew the lawsuit.

According to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, the purpose of the lawsuit was clear.

"This case was clearly designed to spread misinformation about the security and integrity of Michigan elections," Nessel said.

Meanwhile, an additional lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan on Monday demanding an audit of ballots — again, separate from the one that county officials statewide already conduct — before the state's results are certified, according to the Free Press.

So far, no legal challenge launched by Trump's campaign or his supporters alleging voter fraud have been accepted by the court system.