State Senator Criticizes Bill that Removes Election Investigation Powers from Board of Canvassers
The Michigan House and Senate have recently passed legislation that would change the procedures for handling election recounts in Michigan. Under the proposed legislation, the authority for overseeing recounts would be shifted from the Board of State Canvassers to county prosecutors, who are described by critics as “hyper-partisan.” Republican state Senator Jim Runestad has been vocal in his opposition to the bills, warning that they could undermine election security in Michigan. These concerns are rooted in the potential loss of the Board’s subpoena power and the reduction of their investigative capabilities. The changes, introduced via Senate Bills 603 and 604, have been passed by both the Senate and House, and are now returning to the upper chamber for final approval. This proposed shift in authority has garnered significant criticism due to fears that it could lead to overly partisan investigations into election fraud, undermining trust in Michigan’s electoral process.
Legislation passed in the Michigan House and Senate would upset ballot recount procedures in the state’s elections, shifting the power from the Board of State Canvassers to “hyper-partisan” county prosecutors.
Introduced in October of last year, Senate Bills 603 and 604 made their way through the Senate and House before being returned to the upper chamber and approved Tuesday.
Republican state Senator Jim Runestad issued a fiery rebuke to the measure, warning of its potential to shake the foundations of election security in Michigan.
“The current law regarding the Board of Canvassers is very clear,” Runestad said.
“I’m not going to take the time to read every section out of the law currently, but it’s very, very clear that a case of a recount, if somebody suspects fraud, they are able to bring that to the Board of Canvassers. The Board of Canvassers are permitted to investigate fraud.”
“They also have currently the ability to subpoena,” he continued. “They have subpoena power.”
Runestad said Senate Bill 603 would remove this power from the board.
The legislation would be a “big change” to the way elections are currently secured in Michigan.
“What they put in instead is, ‘well, if you suspect fraud, turn it over to the hyper-partisan attorney general,’” Runestad said.
“Oh, I’m sure if it’s a Republican making that claim it’s going to get a thorough investigation — or turn it over to the hyper-partisan Democrat prosecutors within the big cities, where the majority of the votes are.”
Runestad doubted the liberal prosecutors would be pursuing investigations of electoral fraud from conservatives.
In response to assertions that the Board of Canvassers’ power went unused, the senator said this authority was used in the last two major elections.
“First in 2016,” Runestad said, “I believe in Detroit, it was 72 percent of the precincts couldn’t be recounted, mostly for an overcount, for a whole series of issues — broken-open ballot boxes — so we gave them more time and money.”
“And what happened in 2020? It went from, I believe, the 72 percent to 79 percent.”
Runestad claimed members of the county boards were threatened and harassed with a “tsunami” of death threats once they began probing the electoral issues.
Watch Runestad’s full comments below.
“Of all of the death threats that I’ve heard around,” he said, “the absolute worst I have ever heard was against that Wayne County Board of Canvassers, a female who was doxed, her daughter was doxed.”
“They sent horrific things to the mother,” Runestad claimed, including an image of a “murdered little girl” with a threat directed toward the board member’s own young daughter, promising the same for her if the vote didn’t go a certain way.
Runestad called it an “outrage” that the bills passed.
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