A Wayne County Circuit judge on Tuesday denied an election challenger’s request to have all city absentee ballots from the August primary thrown out, saying there’s no evidence to justify the move and doing so would “disenfranchise” voters. Chief circuit Judge Robert Colombo Jr., following an hour-long discussion in his courtroom, said he would not grant Detroit resident Anita Belle’s request to invalidate the Aug. 8 absentee ballots on claims they were tainted. Colombo said he would not throw out the city’s absentee ballots or enter an injunction to prevent the Detroit Election Commission from using the results “when there is no evidence there was a problem with absentee ballots.”
“I would be disenfranchising thousands of Detroiters who voted if I did that,” the judge said. “That would be a totally inappropriate remedy when there is absolutely no evidence of voter fraud.”
Belle filed an emergency complaint last Wednesday, asking Colombo to stop the Detroit Election Commission from using the results of all absentee ballots after she contended challenges sought on Election Day were unfairly denied and Belle herself was forced out of the absentee counting room inside Cobo Center.
Full Article: Judge: Detroit absentee ballots from primary will stand.