State officials have been responding to extraordinary claims by some in the Republican Party that the US Presidential election was rigged in favour of Joe Biden. These claims centre around an apparent compute glitch in Michigan that allegedly saw 6,000 votes for the Republican Party being tallied to the Democratic vote count.
Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Laura Cox held a press conference on Friday outlining what she claimed was a technological malfunction and stated that 47 other counties in tight races such as Michigan and Georgia also used the same software. She said:
"In Antrim County ballots were counted for Democrats that were meant for Republicans, causing a 6,000 vote swing against our candidates. The county clerk [Sheryl Guy] came forward and said tabulating software glitched and caused a miscalculation of the votes. Since then, we have now discovered that 47 counties used this same software in the same capacity. Antrim county had to hand-count all of the ballots and all these counties that use this software need to closely examine their results for similar discrepancies. The people of Michigan deserve a transparent and open process. Voters deserve to know that all legal votes are being counted."
Michigan GOP Chair: Dozens of Michigan counties used the same software that caused 6,000 votes in one county to switch from Trump to Biden.
— Trump War Room - Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) November 6, 2020
"These counties that used this software need to closely examine their result for similar discrepancies." pic.twitter.com/ZK3uUcogNB
The Michigan Secretary of State has called the claims' erroneous reporting'. The official said:
"The erroneous reporting of unofficial results from Antrim county was a result of accidental error on the part of the Antrim County Clerk. The equipment and software did not malfunction and all ballots were properly tabulated. However, the clerk accidentally did not update the software used to collect voting machine data and report unofficial results."
Similar nonsense videos showing 'voter fraud' have been shared by Republicans and conspiracy theorists online. In one video from Delaware County, it is claimed that a woman is filling out votes herself. However it was later revealed that the individual was transcribing ballots in a manner that was agreed on and overseen by both Republican and Democrat observers. The video had been cropped so that these observers were not seen. The local Republican party has confirmed the video is giving a false representation of actual events.
In another video, it is claimed that a counter in Georgia is throwing away a ballot, when in fact, he is throwing away a much smaller piece of paper. The counter now says that he fears for his life at the hands of those who believe a conspiracy was undertaken against Donald Trump.
Trump, his family members, and some in the Republican party have continued to claim voter fraud despite no real evidence of it existing, therefore further poisoning political discourse in a nation that is already bitterly divided. It is hoped that via his exit from the political scene, the United States can return to a more functional normal democracy.
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