Norman Shinkle, one of the two Republican members of Michigan’s Board of State Canvassers, said on Thursday that he’s considering requesting a delay in the certification of the state’s votes ahead of the deadline next week.
Shinkle cited President Donald Trump and his legal team’s bogus claims of voter fraud in an interview with the Washington Post Thursday.
“I do think with all of the potential problems, if any of them are true, an audit is appropriate,” he said. “I take one step at a time, and if we can get more information, why not?”
Neither Trump nor his allies have contacted him, Shinkle told the Post, though he “would say hi” if they did.
“They have a position to advocate,” Shinkle said.
Mary Shinkle, the canvasser’s wife, had filed an affidavit in the Trump campaign’s election fraud lawsuit that the campaign has since dropped after the two Republican Wayne County canvassers representing Detroit attempted to “rescind” their votes to certify their county’s election results on Thursday.
Michigan’s deadline for certification is Monday.
The office of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson did not immediately respond to TPM’s request for comment.
Michigan has been thoroughly ensnared by Trump’s war against the election, which he lost to President-elect Joe Biden in part by losing the battleground state. The two previously mentioned GOP Wayne County canvassers filed their (legally toothless) affidavits requesting to rescind their votes after Trump had called them, and the President also invited Michigan’s top GOP leaders to visit the White House on Friday.
