West Virginia GOP fractured by political appointment feud
A member of the audience holds a "Justice for All" sign during West Virginia Gov. Instead, state Republican leaders ordered a redo on candidate applications and insisted Marcum return home for an in-person interview. County Republicans claim the West Virginia GOP โ which created its own shortlist for the seat โ intervened to anoint a political favorite, a charge the governor denies. Booth's name appeared in place of Marcum's on the list that state GOP officials submitted to Justice. โI guess the swamp has made its way down to West Virginia.โ
Opera adapts to pandemic, hosts drive-thru show in a parking garage -- and the results are stunning
DETROIT โ When one thinks of the opera, images of a parking garage are unlikely to come to mind, but some unexpected creativity during the pandemic allowed people to experience the opera from their vehicle. This proves it: When you canโt pack people into a theater, you find another way to perform. Michigan Opera Theatre opened its season in late December this way. Each act performed on a different level of the opera house garage. Watch nextREAD: Michigan Opera Theatre names Yuval Sharon new artistic director
Biden transition gets govt OK after Trump out of options
But Trump did tweet that he was directing his team to cooperate on the transition. The president had grown increasingly frustrated with the flailing tactics of his legal team. Some Trump allies had expressed hope that state lawmakers could intervene in selecting Republican electors in states that do not certify. The campaign, in its filings, asked for urgent consideration so it could challenge the state election results before they are certified next month. Pennsylvania county election boards voted Monday, the state deadline, on whether to certify election results to the Department of State.
Michigan leader: Trump didn't ask for election interference
The Republican National Committee and the state Republican Party want the board to adjourn for 14 days to investigate alleged irregularities in Wayne County, the state's largest and home to Detroit. โMichigan election law clearly requires that the stateโs electors must be those nominated by the party that received the most votes โ not the Legislature,โ says a stock email House Republicans are sending in response to people who contact their offices. Experts on Michigan election law have said the state board's authority is limited in scope and that it must certify the results now that all 83 counties have reported theirs to the state. The deadline is Dec. 13, but that is five days after the federal โsafe harborโ date โ when Congress cannot challenge any electors named by that date in accordance with state law. In fact, election officials from both political parties have stated publicly that the election went well and international observers confirmed that there were no serious irregularities.
Minor discrepancies at heart of GOP effort to overturn vote
Some answers to basic questions about the canvassing and certification process:Q: WHAT HAPPENED TO HOLD UP THE CERTIFICATION? Hartmann said he changed his vote to certify the election because canvassers agreed to seek an audit of Detroitโs election performance. The software allows poll workers to look up a voterโs registration record, confirm the registration and assign a ballot to that voter. Other potential problems include ballot scanners that get jammed or ballots that cannot be read because voters filled them out improperly. The issue would then go before the Michigan Court of Claims, according to former Michigan Elections Director Chris Thomas.
Trump summons Michigan GOP leaders for extraordinary meeting
The Michigan Legislature would be called to select electors if Trump succeeds in convincing the stateโs board of canvassers not to certify Bidenโs victory in the state. Asked at a Lansing news conference about the plan for legislative leaders to visit Trump, Democratic Gov. โWayne County voters need to have full confidence in this process." Biden crushed Trump in Wayne County by a more than 2-1 margin on his way to winning Michigan by 153,000 votes, according to unofficial results. But Trump and his allies have spent two weeks raising false claims of fraud and refusing to concede to Biden.
Michigan canvassers drop meeting after counties certify vote
LANSING, Mich. โ A state Board of Canvassers' meeting scheduled for Wednesday has been cancelled after canvassers in southeastern Michiganโs Wayne County unanimously certified election results showing Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump. The meeting had been scheduled in case the state board needed to canvass any county results if a county failed to certify, according to Tracy Wimmer, spokeswoman for Michiganโs secretary of state. โAll counties have certified, so the meeting was unnecessary,โ Wimmer wrote in an email. The board is next scheduled to meet Nov. 23 to certify the Nov. 3 general election. Biden crushed Trump in Wayne County, a Democratic stronghold, by more than a 2-1 margin and won Michigan by 146,000 votes, according to unofficial results.
Michigan GOP backtracks after blocking vote certification
The state vote certification process is usually a routine task, and the ultimate resolution in Wayne County propels Biden toward formal victory in Michigan. Republicans are also trying to stop formal certification of the election results in other swing states, including Arizona, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Each state certifies its election results and the Electoral College meets Dec. 14 to codify the results. In Michigan, Trump allies and Republican poll challengers have spent days launching unsuccessful litigation. In a more rural county, Mohave, election certification was delayed until Nov. 23 in a sign of solidarity with the remaining election challenges in the state.
EXPLAINER: Why AP called Michigan for Biden
(AP Photo/David Goldman)WHY AP CALLED MICHIGAN FOR BIDEN:Democrat Joe Biden has won the electoral battleground of Michigan, the third state that President Donald Trump carried in 2016 that the former vice president has flipped. Biden had a 70,000-vote lead on Wednesday evening, a margin over Trump of about 1.3 percentage points. Michigan is among a handful of battleground states where Trump prematurely claimed early Wednesday that he was โwinningโ the contest with Biden. With Biden winning both Michigan and Wisconsin, all eyes are on Nevada and Pennsylvania. Voters who cast mail ballots have favored Biden.