Michigan State Police expand probe into post-2020 voting systems breaches
2022.05.06 18:38
FILE PHOTO: A person places his ballot in a tabulating machine as they vote in midterm election at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in East Lansing, Michigan, U.S. November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Jeff Kowalsky
(Reuters) – Michigan State Police have seized the voting tabulator in a small town an hour west of Lansing as an investigation into the unauthorized access of election equipment expands into new regions of the state, officials said on Friday.
State police raided Irving Township Hall in Barry County on April 29 and took possession of its ballot-processing tabulator, the county clerk and township supervisor told Reuters, confirming earlier media reports.
The raid shows that state police have expanded their probe into potential breaches of voting equipment and data into at least one more county, following the state’s disclosure of an investigation into Roscommon County in February.
“As we found out more information we’ve expanded our area to see if any other places were compromised,” said Michigan State Police Lieutenant Derrick Carroll, declining to comment on Irving specifically. “We have gone to other regions.”
Irving Township Supervisor Jamie Knight said the state police and office of Attorney General Dana Nessel seized the town’s tabulator “pursuant to a search warrant” last Friday.
“The Township intends to fully cooperate with law enforcement, and the Township attorneys have been in contact with the Michigan State Police regarding this matter,” Knight said in an emailed statement, declining further comment.
The seizure adds to the tally of potential voting equipment breaches. Last week, Reuters reported on eight known attempts to gain unauthorized access to voting systems in five U.S. states since the 2020 election, all involving local Republican officeholders or party activists who have promoted former President Donald Trump’s false claims about voter fraud or conspiracy theories about rigged voting machines.
The Michigan investigation was launched at the request of Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who in February disclosed that an unauthorized party had “allegedly gained inappropriate access to tabulation machines and data drives used in Richfield Township and Roscommon County” without providing details.
Richfield Township officials have declined to comment.
