WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is once again ratcheting up its investigations into alleged voting irregularities in past elections, this time demanding all ballots and related materials from the November 2024 federal election in Wayne County, Michigan.
Michigan officials, including state Attorney General Dana Nessel, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson are pushing back against the demand, in which the Justice Department seeks all ballots, ballot receipts and ballot envelopes in the Democratic-leaning county that includes Detroit.
"Michigan’s elections are safe and secure, and any attempt to suggest otherwise is an attempt to take away Michiganders’ constitutional right to vote," Whitmer, who has been talked about as a 2028 presidential candidate, said in an April 19 statement by the three statewide Democrats.
The DOJ demand was contained in an April 14 letter by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who oversees DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and its Voting Section, which has been actively investigating alleged voter fraud nationwide, often in Democratic strongholds.
In her letter, Dhillon gave Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett 14 days to respond, and said she would seek a court order if the county does not comply.
