7 days ago
Activist lawsuit claims Detroit absentee ballots not counted properly for Primary
The Brief
A political activist from Highland Park is suing Detroit on Primary day.
Robert Davis says absentee ballots were not counted correctly by the Detroit City Clerk.
Davis is known as a political provocateur, having filed numerous past lawsuits.
FOX 2 - A Metro Detroit activist has filed an emergency motion suing the clerk claiming absentee ballots were counted inaccurately.
Robert Davis claimed the Detroit city clerk failed to post information about where early and absentee ballot voting took place, as well as the employees tasked with doing the tabulation.
The Latest
A judge permitted Davis to take a look at information about where votes that were cast early were counted, issuing the ruling on Tuesday.
The attorney for the city clerk did not oppose the plaintiff from canvassing or inspecting current vote tallying. If there is an issue, the hearing before Judge Patricia Fresard could resume.
Davis told FOX 2 that legal counsel for Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey admitted in court she "was not complying with the law", which could lead to more challenges.
Candidates could possibly challenge the results of some of the local elections, citing transparency problems with the vote-counting process.
The backstory
Davis' suit has triggered an emergency hearing in Wayne County in a bid to halt the Detroit election amid today's primary.
Davis, from Highland Park, is suing Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey, the Detroit Election Commission and the Detroit Department of Elections and the City of Detroit.
According to legal documents, Davis says the clerk violated the law by not allowing him to publicly inspect and receive a copy of list of names and addresses of all authorized assistants appointed to collect absent voter ballots on or before Aug. 5.
Davis claims he has a right as a member of the general public to inspect the names and says he is supporting candidates whose names will appear on the ballot.
FOX 2 legal analyst Charlie Langton believes the legal action is a longshot.
The hearing is scheduled for this afternoon, and legally must take place before 4 p.m.
Related:
Michigan Voting Guide: 2025 primaries, what you need to know
Michigan primary elections: How to preview your ballot
Davis has a history of legal actions, many of which failed to bear fruit.
Last year Davis sued to keep President Donald Trump off the 2024 Michigan ballot claiming he should have been disqualified due to Jan. 6.
Among his previous suits he also sued Detroit for an alleged cover-up involving late businessman Robert Carmack and Mayor Mike Duggan in 2018.
Stay with FOX 2 for more information as it becomes available.
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Information for this report is from the court filing on Tuesday.
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