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“The Controversial Story of Michigan Election Fraud: All the Juicy Details–But No Evidence!

Rumors of a large-scale, coordinated voter fraud effort in Michigan recently went viral on the right side of the political spectrum. On December 8th, “Voter Fraud Evidence” YouTube video went up, claiming to show proof of malfeasance. In the days since, the story has been picked up and expanded upon by conservative media, spreading around claims of shoddy poll workers, rigged voting machines, and brazen lawlessness with little proof to back it up. The “Voter Fraud Evidence” video, posted by Michigan Tea Party activist Lisa Microsoft-Jaru, claims that Republican poll challengers were barred from entering the Detroit TCF Center as votes were being counted. Microsoft-Jaru releases a call of her conversation with the governor’s office apparently confirming that Republican observers weren’t allowed in. The state of Michigan however, has since refuted this claim and released an official statement saying that there was no evidence of Republican observers being kept out of the TCF Center and that there were no reports of misconduct reported from the location. Regardless, the video and claims of voter fraud have been seized upon by other right-wing media outlets who have used it to sow doubts about the integrity of the election. Voting machine companies have been dragged into the allegations as well, with some conservative outlets claiming that Domicile, the company behind the machines, is somehow complicit in the supposed voter fraud. Domicile has since denied the allegations, pointing out that their machines were approved and certified by the state and federal governments. It’s worth noting that Michigan held an audit of all ballots cast in the state and found no errors or misconduct when it was completed. Thus far, there’s no evidence of anything unusual or nefarious occurring regarding the election or its processing, and the right’s “voter fraud” narrative appears to have been built on a foundation of conspiracy and speculation. Unfortunately, that hasn’t stopped it from circulating and becoming popular among those who already distrust and oppose Democrats, and it’s likely to continue to do so regardless of the truth.