Michigan Rejects DOJ Demand for 2024 Election Ballots

The United States Department of Justice demanded that Wayne County, Michigan, surrender all ballots, receipts, and envelopes from the 2024 presidential election. In a letter dated April 14, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon cited a history of fraud convictions and previous civil lawsuits regarding absentee ballot processing in the Detroit area to justify the request.

Michigan officials, including Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel, rejected the demand. In a joint statement with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, they denounced the request as absurd and baseless. Nessel argued that the demand was too broad and based on speculative evidence, noting that the requested records are held by 43 local clerks rather than a single county clerk.

Whitmer and Nessel accused President Donald Trump of weaponizing the Justice Department to spread misinformation and interfere in state democratic processes. This action follows similar federal efforts to obtain election data from states including Georgia, Arizona, California, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Oregon. The DOJ may seek a court order if the records are not produced within 14 days of the request.