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Court of Appeals tosses challenge to Antrim County election results

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The Michigan Court of Appeals has tossed out a legal challenge to the presidential election results in Antrim County.

The appeals court, in a unanimous ruling, said there were no facts to back the complaint and this case won’t change the reality that President Joe Biden won Michigan in 2020.

“We conclude that plaintiff failed to allege any ‘clear and positive’ factual allegations,” they wrote. “…Instead, plaintiff merely raised a series of questions about the election without making any specific factual allegations as required.”

The opinion also said individuals don’t have a legal right to simply demand an audit of election results. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the ruling recognizes the 2020 election was fair.

“The ruling itself is a heartening reminder that despite these ongoing efforts to undo democracy and interfere with the will of the people, we continue to have the truth and the law and the Constitution on our side,” Benson told Michigan Public Radio.

“… In my view, the battle will intensify as we get closer to the decision point that voters will have to make this fall.”

Benson will be among those on the 2022 statewide ballot that also include races for governor, attorney general, the Legislature and Congress.

The court decision was released on the same day Benson was announced as a recipient of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation’s Profile in Courage Award for her management of the contentious 2020 elections.

Rick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987. His journalism background includes stints with UPI, The Elizabeth (NJ) Daily Journal, The (Pontiac, MI) Oakland Press, and WJR. He is also a lifelong public radio listener.
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