LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) issued a statement Friday regarding the election process in the state. Chatfield said that "every single legal vote needs to be counted, regardless of who cast it or who they voted for."
He then announced that the Republican-led Michigan House and Senate oversight committees will hold hearings to look into "the voting and counting process in our state to give everyone confidence in the results and to make sure the next election runs much more smoothly."
State Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Waucedah Township) scheduled the joint hearing of the oversight committees for Saturday, Nov. 7, saying they will "investigate the elections process and seek to determine whether improprieties exist."
The Michigan Democratic Party calls the results in the state the "legitimate outcome of the election." Chair Lavora Barnes issued a statement Friday, saying clerks in Michigan have done a great job this election cycle.
"We join local clerks in calling for reforms to the election system that will decrease legislative barriers and provide clerks additional resources to allow them to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively."
The Trump campaign filed a lawsuit in Michigan regarding vote counting. A judge dismissed it and issued an opinion Friday.
According to the Associated Press, Joe Biden won Michigan's 16 electoral votes by over 146,000 votes. President Donald Trump won the state in 2016 with a thin margin of less than 11,000 votes.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office issued a statement Friday, saying that allegations of improper ballot counting are "mere speculation."
"We have always been committed to a fair, transparent and secure election that ensures every legal vote is counted – and we will continue to do that," the statement read about a decision from Michigan's Third Circuit Court to deny a preliminary injunctive relief in Wayne County.
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