SOUTHFIELD, Michigan (Reuters) - Two election officials in a small Michigan town have been stripped of their duties overseeing Tuesday's U.S. presidential election after they vowed to go ahead with a plan to handcount already tabulated ballots in an alleged violation of state law.
Tom Schierkolk and David LaMere, the clerk and deputy clerk in Rock River Township, were ordered by Michigan Bureau of Elections Director Jonathan Brater to refrain from administering the vote, according to a letter from Brater dated Oct. 28.
The development highlights distrust of voting equipment among some officials following years of falsehoods by Republican former President Donald Trump and his allies about their integrity. The false claims include the notion that rigged voting machines contributed to Trump's loss in 2020.
It also comes as election officials in Michigan and other swing states are on edge ahead of what polls indicate is a tight race between Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Pro-democracy advocates have warned that some local Republican officials, including those on canvassing boards in parts of Michigan, could try to hold up certification if Trump loses.
Schierkolk told Reuters that he believed a handcount was needed to restore trust in the electoral process.
"We have people within our township, as well as half the country, who believe that the last presidential election had a lot of malfeasance," Schierkolk said. "Because of that, we simply wanted to hand count the ballots to verify that the tabulators are doing their work accurately."
Brater made the decision after Schierkolk said that he intended to conduct a handcount of ballots already scanned through an electronic tabulator, instead of placing them in sealed containers in preparation for the county canvass.
In his letter, Brater said those actions would be "contrary to law, interfere with the integrity of the election process, undermine the county canvass, and jeopardize the ability of candidates to request a recount." LaMere, who could not be reached for comment, also intended to go along with the unlawful plan, Brater wrote.
Schierkolk said that there was nothing in state law preventing him from conducting a handcount. He said he plans to send a formal complaint to Brater in the hopes that he reverses his directive and restores his authority over elections.
In his letter to Schierkolk, Brater warned that failure to comply with the state's orders was a criminal misdemeanor offense. Rock River Deputy Treasurer Wilma Hill, a former clerk, has been designated to oversee the Nov. 5 vote.
Rock River is a small town of about 1,200 people in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It is located in Alger County, which Trump carried in 2020 with about 59% of the vote.
Schierkolk is a local pastor and a member of the local affiliate of the conservative grassroots organization Stand Up Michigan, which grew out of opposition to the state's COVID-19 policies and has links to election denial groups.