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A key Republican on the Michigan prospecting board could delay the certification of state election results for President-elect Joe Biden on Monday, according to reports.
Norman Shinkle, one of two Republicans on the four-member board of directors, has a duty to validate the will of Michigan voters ahead of the Electoral College vote on December 14.
Shinkle, however, is considering whether to block certification at Monday’s board meeting due to voting system issues that President Trump and his allies say is evidence of electoral fraud. generalized.
Shinkle told the New York Times he had received hundreds of phone calls, emails and text messages from people for or against certification.
“You can’t make up your mind until you have all the facts,” he says.
Michigan GOP Representative Paul Mitchell told CNN on Sunday that Shinkle indicated last week that he would vote against certification of election results until an investigation is completed.
Shinkle did not immediately return FOX News’ request for comment.
RNC PRESIDENT CALLS ON MICHIGAN OFFICIALS TO END ELECTORAL CERTIFICATION
Shinkle’s wife Mary has claimed to be among the witnesses whose accounts have been cited in a Trump campaign lawsuit challenging the election results.
In an affidavit, she alleged that while working as a poll challenger in Detroit, she saw election workers scanning too many ballots at a time and envelopes with mailed ballots left unattended. in unsealed containers.
In addition, she objected to being asked to withdraw from a table where election workers duplicated damaged ballots. However, she said she could still observe the process. She also said that election workers were “rude and aggressive” when challenged about their decisions.
The lawsuit has since been dropped, according to the Washington Post.
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Depending on how Shinkle and Aaron Van Langevelde, the other GOP member of the board, voted, the board could find itself in a bind.
If the board were to vote against the certification of the results, the case would then go to the state appeals court, followed by the state Supreme Court, which should require the board to certify the results. Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer could also replace one of the board members.
If the certification cannot be processed through the courts, then the decision would go to the state legislature, where Republican members could try to nominate voters to vote for Trump rather than honor the popular vote.
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Shinkle’s potential decision comes just a day later the state Republican Party and the Republican National Committee sent a letter to board members asking them to delay certification for 14 days and wait for an audit of Wayne County election results.
“We are distressed by comments from some Michigan officials casually dismissing the significant problems and irregularities seen in Wayne County,” the letter read. “While these comments may be motivated by a desire to build confidence in election results, their real effect has been to make the more than 2.6 million Trump voters and Republicans in the state even more suspicious than the Michigan election officials ignore their demands for a fair election. These questions cannot be simply ignored or swept under the rug, they must be confronted and thoroughly explored. We implore you to listen to the calls of your constituents and to order the verification. “
An audit cannot take place in Michigan until the votes are certified.
WAYNE COUNTY CANVASSER EXPLAINS ITS OPPOSITION TO CERTIFICATION OF ELECTION RESULTS
Following a Friday afternoon meeting with Trump and his legal team, Michigan lawmakers said they had found no “evidence that” would change the outcome of the election.
“The candidates who win the most votes win Michigan’s election and electoral votes,” they said.
“We have not yet been made aware of any information that could affect the results of the Michigan election and, as legislative leaders, we will follow the law and go through the normal process regarding Michigan voters, as we have seen. said throughout this election, ”lawmakers continued.
“Michigan’s certification process should be a deliberate process free from threats and intimidation. Allegations of fraudulent behavior must be taken seriously, investigated fully and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. “
According to Wayne County officials, out of more than 878,000 votes cast, there was a gap of about 450 votes. Trump lost Michigan by around 155,000 votes, according to unofficial results still certified by county canvassing councils.
There is no evidence or proof of widespread electoral fraud.
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Fox News’ Caitlin McFall and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report
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