Two Michigan Republicans have announced that they will object to President-elect Joe Biden’s victory when Congress meets to certify electoral votes later this week.
US Representatives Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, and Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, issued a joint statement on Monday expressing concern over the issues “that question the results of the 2020 elections and jeopardize faith in future elections ”. They join an increasing number of House Republicans committed to challenging the electoral votes in several states that Biden won, but the effort should not bring together enough representatives to change Biden’s victory.
Bergman and Walberg called an emergency committee to audit the results of the elections before Biden opens on January 20. All 50 states certified the results of the November 3 elections and conducted their voters’ vote before the New Year.
Michigan’s Republican representatives are divided over whether there is evidence of significant electoral issues. Fred Upton, US representative, R-St. Joseph released a statement on Monday saying there was no case of fraud that would nullify Biden’s victory with 154,000 votes in Michigan.
US Congresswoman Lisa McClain of R-Bruce County said she was open to opposing the Electoral College vote. McClain said on Monday that he will “vote accordingly” if Wednesday’s proceedings “further confirm concerns expressed to me by people in the 10th District.”
Bergman and Walberg said constituents in their constituencies, where most voters support President Donald Trump, “demanded” an investigation into possible electoral fraud and irregularities. An email to the constituents details the “irregularities” in Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
“The basis of our democracy is based on the principles of a free, fair and secure election,” said Bergman and Walberg in a joint statement. “Americans deserve to know that only legal votes are counted and reports on irregularities, fraud and non-compliance with electoral laws are thoroughly investigated.”
The Congress is scheduled to meet in a joint session at 1 pm on Wednesday, January 6 to certify the vote of the Electoral College. At least one US House and Senate legislator must formally object to the counting of votes from the state Electoral College.
Most votes are needed in the House and Senate for the challenge to be successful. Democrats hold a majority in the House, so Republicans’ challenges must not garner enough votes.
In an email to the constituents, Bergman pointed out the problems with Republican poll watchers in Michigan. Bergman said that Republican Party poll observers were denied entry to the polling centers, which “casts doubt on the whole process,” but does not provide evidence that Michigan’s election results were affected.
The Michigan Legislature, led by Republicans, is investigating several electoral issues. Republican House and Senate leaders said the investigations revealed no evidence of fraud that could prevent Michigan’s 16 voters from voting for Biden on December 14.
Bergman also cited issues in several other states that reflect the claims made by White House commercial consultant Peter Navarro. The report states that 300,000 Georgia voters received an absentee ballot, despite requesting one after the legal deadline.
The figure 300,000 was included in a lawsuit filed by Trump against Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger and other officials. The action was dismissed.
The Washington Post released the audio of an hour-long phone call between Trump and Raffensperger over the weekend, which shows Trump urging Georgia’s election officials to help him find votes that nullify Biden’s victory in his state.
Bergman also cited allegations in a court case in Arizona that 75,000 absentee ballots were incorrectly reported as not returned and replaced by election officials. This action was also dismissed.
Bergman, in the constituency email, also pointed out several problems in Pennsylvania. This includes the claim by a Republican state representative that vote counts were recorded incorrectly. However, Pennsylvania election officials have said that this is not true.
The results certified by Pennsylvania counties in November revealed that more than 6.9 million voters voted in the 2020 election, with Biden winning by more than 80,000 votes.
Bergman claimed that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court violated state legislative power by ruling that ballots received after election day can be counted with a valid postmark before November 3.
Bergman also said that Pennsylvania’s top electoral official violated the constitution by allowing counties to count rejected and absent ballots if the voter’s signature on the outer envelope does not match what is on file. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the changes were legal in October.
“While the easy answer is to ignore electoral irregularities – we will not stand idly by without taking all the options legally available to ensure that the results of our elections are reliable,” Bergman and Tipton said in the joint statement. “This includes contesting the electoral votes of disputed states where there is evidence to justify an investigation.”
Bergman and Walberg previously supported a lawsuit filed by Texas asking the Supreme Court to overturn Michigan’s election results. The Supreme Court dismissed the case.
MLive reached out to all seven Republicans in the Michigan Congressional delegation, asking about their position on sustaining voters’ votes. None responded on Monday afternoon, but some representatives released their own statements.
Newly elected US deputy Peter Meijer, R-Grand Rapids, said earlier that he accepts Biden as president-elect. US Representative Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, told constituents in December that he would not challenge Michigan’s electoral votes, but did not say whether he would support the challenges of other states.
US Representative John Moolenaar, R-Midland, did not define his position until Monday afternoon. He and Huizenga also joined the Texas Supreme Court.
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