Voters oust Michigan employee who doubts election results

Voters in one of Michigan’s most conservative counties have fired a small-town clerk accused of tampering with voting equipment after casting doubt on President Joe Biden’s election victory.

Stephanie Scott lost Tuesday’s recall election in Hillsdale County’s Adams Township to Suzy Roberts, who polled 406 votes to Scott’s 214, according to unofficial results reported by the county clerk’s office.

Roberts, a Republican who identifies as an independent, ran unaffiliated in the recall election because Michigan law does not allow challengers to run under the same political party, the Hillsdale Daily News previously reported.

Scott had run unopposed as a first-time Republican candidate when she was chosen in the November 2020 election to handle voting in Adams Township, a trusted Republican community where Donald Trump’s ticket and Vice President Mike Pence received nearly 76%. of the votes this year.

But he joined a group of Republican election officials across the country who have questioned the accuracy of US voting systems. Scott is among a series of election officials across the country accused of mishandling equipment. voting in their quest to uncover the fraud.

Before Tuesday’s recall election against Scott, his challenger said “the lies have to stop.”

“Somehow, across the country, we have to make lying wrong,” said Roberts, 69. “If you were caught in the lie, there was a feeling of shame. It has to be wrong again.”

A message seeking comment was left with Roberts on Wednesday. Scott and his attorney did not respond to questions or provide comment ahead of Tuesday’s election, and additional messages seeking comment were left Wednesday.

In preparation for the November 2021 election in his municipality, Scott said he had concerns about voting accuracy and had considered paper ballots and manual counting before deciding to use the same voting system.

The state intervened after Scott allegedly refused to allow a contractor to perform preventative maintenance and not perform precision testing, among other issues. She was stripped of her duties in the municipal elections in October 2021.

When the Hillsdale County Clerk’s office took custody of a voter tabulator and voter assistance terminal from municipal offices to prepare for a public accuracy test, they discovered that the tabulator tablet had been removed. It was later seized by Michigan State Police after Scott allegedly refused to turn it over.

One of Scott’s supporters, Adams Township Supervisor Mark Nichols, also lost in Tuesday’s recall election. Challenger Randy G. Johnson outvoted Nichols 394 to 222, unofficial results show.