16 Michigan residents face felony charges for false elector scheme after 2020 election

Washington — Sixteen Michigan residents are facing charges for falsely claiming to be presidential electors for former President Donald Trump after he lost the 2020 election, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Tuesday.

Each of 16 alleged “false electors” have been charged with eight criminal violations, including conspiracy to commit forgery, forgery, conspiracy to commit election law forgery and election law forgery.

“The false electors’ actions undermined the public’s faith in the integrity of our elections and, we believe, also plainly violated the laws by which we administer our elections in Michigan,” Nessel said.

According to a 14-page affidavit, the GOP electors met at the Michigan Republican Party headquarters on Dec. 14, 2020, the same day members of the Electoral College met in states across the country to cast their votes and secure President Biden’s victory in the presidential election. The affidavit said the phony electors signed a document titled “Certificate of The Votes of The 2020 Electors From Michigan” that falsely claimed they were the legitimate electors for president and vice president from Michigan. 

On Jan. 5, 2021, the National Archives received the certificate signed by the 16 Republicans purporting to be Michigan’s electors, which also certified that they convened at the state Capitol on Dec. 14. According to the affidavit, the signers attested that they “proceeded to vote by ballot, and balloted first for President and then for Vice President, by distinct ballots,” with the state’s 16 electoral votes for Trump and running mate Mike Pence.

Nessel said in a statement that there was “no legitimate legal avenue or plausible use of such a document or an alternative slate of electors. There was only the desperate effort of these defendants, who we have charged with deliberately attempting to interfere with and overturn our free and fair election process, and along with it, the will of millions of Michigan voters.”