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Kristina Karamo, the Republican secretary of state candidate in Michigan, has sued the Detroit Clerk's Office less than two weeks before the midterm elections alleging illegal ballots and manipulated votes.
The 37-page lawsuit filed on October 26 in Wayne County Circuit Court requests the requirement of Detroit residents to vote in person or obtain their ballots in person at the clerk's office, the Detroit News reported.
Detroit Clerk Janice Winfrey and the Detroit Board of Election Inspectors were named as defendants in the lawsuit, which asks a "visiting judge" to intervene.
"The AVCB [absentee voter counting board] has many problems that cannot be remedied," the lawsuit says. "As it is an optional process, it must be sent to the scrap heap of history."
It also requests the court to order Detroit to stop the use of absentee ballots that "are obtained without identification" and "halt the counting of ballots cast through drop boxes that are not effectively monitored."
Conservative Dinesh D'Souza's 2000 Mules, which claimed widespread election fraud perpetrated by Democrats in 2020, was also mentioned in the legal filing.
The Donald Trump-backed Karamo has repeatedly expressed denial about the results of the 2020 election.
A statement posted by Karamo on Twitter said that a secretary of state's No. 1 priority involves protecting Michiganders' voting rights, consisting of ballot access, ballot security and preventing illegal ballots from being cast.
Karamo claimed that the city of Detroit "violates the voting rights" of residents due to an uncertified Relia-Vote system; a failure by Detroit "to monitor and secure ballot drop boxes" per law; and an "illegal" adjudication process performed at Detroit's absentee counting board.
"Illegal ballots and the manipulation of citizens' votes are a threat to our Constitutional Republic," she wrote. "It is imperative that citizens' constitutional right to vote absentee is protected per the rule of law. With the future of our nation at stake, make sure YOUR VOTE determines election outcomes—not SoS Benson-managed corruption."
She is referring to her opponent and incumbent Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who was vocal about following protocols and procedures following the 2020 election.
In a tweet posted Thursday, Benson said she "will always work to ensure every valid vote is counted & every voice is heard."
"My opponent is seeking to have valid votes thrown out & thousands of voices nullified based on nothing but lies," Benson wrote. "It's egregious. It won't succeed. Democracy will prevail."
Newsweek reached out to Benson's campaign, which declined to comment further.
Mark Brewer, an election lawyer at Michigan-based Goodman Acker and former Michigan Democratic Party chair, told Newsweek that the lawsuit is "a publicity stunt" aimed to sow confusion and doubt about election results.
"Normally the practices they are talking about are exclusive to Detroit....It's completely racist, frivolous in terms of the allegations, and far too late to be filed [this close to an election]," Brewer said.
The plaintiffs' lawyers should be sanctioned, he added.
Karamo is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, joined by five others and the nonprofit Election Integrity Fund and Force that has made unproven claims about election fraud, the Detroit News reported.
The group filed a lawsuit in the Western District of Michigan on September 2 in an attempt to decertify the state's 2020 election.
As of Monday, the city of Detroit reportedly had received 80,607 absentee ballot applications, had sent out 78,563 and received 35,629 completed ballots.
Newsweek reached out to Karamo, the Detroit Clerk's Office, Michigan Democrats and Michigan GOP for comment.
Update 10/28/22, 4:58 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from election lawyer Mark Brewer.
About the writer
Nick Mordowanec is a Newsweek investigative reporter based in Michigan. His focus includes U.S. and international politics and policies, immigration, ... Read more