What persuaded the GOP members of Wayne County Board of Canvassers to reverse course
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About 70% of Detroit's absentee voter counting boards were out of balance — similar to the percentage of precincts in the August primary that had discrepancies for absentee ballots. The total number of votes at issue was roughly 400 votes out of nearly 250,000 votes cast.
Experts said such discrepancies are common. Thomas said discrepancies occur, for example, when an envelope arrives without a ballot inside. If the clerk does not note that, there will be an discrepancy between votes cast and ballots counted.
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"This is actually a big improvement over, for instance, 2016 where they had even more significant issues of reconciliation," he said. "Detroit and Wayne County and Michigan as a state are moving in the right direction.”
Even Palmer said she not expect the discrepancies to affect that outcome of the elections.
"We were not delaying the inevitable," she told the Free Press Wednesday. "We knew the margin of victory was not going to change. The purpose of the canvass is to obtain complete and accurate documentation and verify the vote totals."
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Late Wednesday, Palmer was having second thoughts about her agreement with Kinloch.
And both Palmer and Hartmann signed affidavits late Wednesday saying they were enticed to change their votes to "yes" on certification by promises of an audit. Both said they now believe state officials do not intend to carry out that promise and they would like to rescind their votes for certification.
In the statement she released to the media, Palmer wrote: "At 9:30 p.m., Secretary of State Benson said the agreement was not binding. I acted in good faith and was misled."
Wednesday morning, Kinloch praised Palmer and Hartmann for changing their votes.
"They showed themselves to be very independent," he told the Free Press.
After reviewing Palmer's statement, his tone changed.
"This is not a game," he said Wednesday night, adding that Palmer showed a "reckless and total disregard to the responsibility that's at hand."
