Michigan Confirms Results

After listening to three hours' worth of public comment and receiving a recommendation from the state Bureau of Elections to approve, a Michigan board voted to certify President-elect Joe Biden's Nov. 3 victory in the state. One Republican member voted with the two Democrats to confirm the certified results from Michigan's 83 counties, the Detroit News reports. President Trump had questioned the count and met with top Michigan legislators Friday. The vote Monday reduces Trump's options in overturning the results. Biden's lead over Trump in the state is more than 150,000 votes, per NBC. Republicans asked the board to hold off on certifying while the count in Wayne County, which includes Detroit, is reviewed. One GOP member of the board did abstain from voting and raised questions about the Wayne County results.

But the other Republican, Aaron Van Langevelde, voted with the Democrats to certify after examining Michigan law. "I've reviewed every section," Van Langevelde said. "I haven't found anything about an audit. I found nothing about authority for us to delay certification because we're waiting for more accurate results. I found nothing about making certification contingent on an audit. I found nothing that gives us the authority to review complaints for fraud." An election law expert in Lansing said: "The board has an obligation to certify. It has no other duties to exercise." That's how Van Langevelde sees it. "I mean, I think, the law is pretty clear here," he said. Michigan has 16 electoral votes. (Lawmakers who met with Trump said they aren't planning anything out of the ordinary.)