2020 U.S. presidential election

Rick Snyder, Jennifer Granholm and John Engler call on state canvassers to put aside politics, unfounded fraud claims and pressure from President Trump and certify Biden’s 150,000 vote victory.

The battle for Michigan turns Monday to the state Board of Canvassers, where a key Republican is threatening to refuse to certify the election until after an audit. But experts say that’s not allowed — and could take so long it would delay the awarding of Michigan electors for president.

The president and supporters are pushing Republicans to overlook the popular vote and give him Michigan’s 16 electoral votes. Doing so would disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of citizens.

Canvassing boards are thrust into the national spotlight after two Wayne County Republicans try to change their certification. County officials say they now need to do a better job investigating applicants before they are appointed to posts.

Rudy Guiliani, President Trump’s campaign lawyer, said the campaign withdrew its federal suit challenging Michigan’s presidential vote because it has already succeeded in blocking certification of votes in Wayne County. It has not.

Two Republican canvassers change their minds again, say they want to ‘rescind’ votes to certify Wayne County’s election. Experts say that can’t happen, but it comes days before a bipartisan state board meets to certify Michigan results.

As Wayne County commissioners are set to demand the resignations of two GOP canvassers who initially refused to certify the county’s election, one of them, Monica Palmer, says the experience was ‘heartbreaking.’ A fellow member says she’s not ‘ready for prime time.’

Now that Wayne County has certified its election, activists want the state Board of Canvassers to refuse to certify the state’s election and allow lawmakers to award Michigan’s electors to Trump. It’s a long shot and may be illegal.

After deadlocking earlier Tuesday, Michigan’s largest and most Democratic county switches course agrees to certify and audit its election. GOP canvassers had initially refused, citing unbalanced precincts, but agreed to a compromise amid withering criticism of disenfranchisement.