Lansing — Detroit Clerk Janice Winfrey and other Michigan officials said the U.S. Department of Justice made false claims in letters announcing plans to send election monitors to three cities here for the Aug. 4 primary election.
In separate messages in recent weeks, the department has said it plans to have monitors in Detroit, East Lansing and Lansing — three Democratic strongholds.
The Department of Justice, within Republican President Donald Trump's administration, said its attorneys had concerns about election law compliance and "long lines" in the 2024 presidential election. The Detroit News first reported the existence of the department's plans Monday.
On Tuesday, Winfrey formally responded in a letter, saying there were no lines in Detroit in 2024 and describing the Department of Justice's claims as "thin gruel."
"There were no long lines or lengthy waiting periods in Detroit polling places in November 2024 because early voting, introduced in 2024, and mail voting substantially reduced the number of ballots cast at polling places to 32% of the total vote," Winfrey wrote in her response.
Detroit is Michigan's largest city. Its elections have long been a target of Trump, who has maintained for years that widespread fraud caused him to lose Michigan in the 2020 presidential race. He and his supporters have not provided evidence to prove their claims.
Trump won Michigan in the 2024 election on his way to securing a second term in the White House.
In a June 24 letter to...
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