DETROIT — Michigan’s largest city, Detroit, is not meeting its legal obligation to hire roughly equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans as election observers, local, state and national Republicans argue in a lawsuit filed Friday.
of 14 page complaint The state court noted that under Michigan law, Detroit and other election officials “must appoint, to the greatest extent practicable, an equal number of election observers from each major political party in each election precinct.” Reported Litigation.
But the latest tally shows Republicans trailing 7 to 1.
There are 2,337 Democratic poll watchers in the Motor City, but only 310 Republicans. In a survey of 335 precincts in Wayne County, 202 precincts had no Republican poll watchers at all, according to the lawsuit.
Republicans are rare in Detroit: No Republican has held public office in the city in three decades, since City Councilman Keith Butler in the 1990s.
But the lawsuit alleges there’s a reason for the low number of Republican voters, saying city officials failed to track down and hire strong Republicans.
Paula Naquet Nemeth, then chair of the Wayne County Legislative District, allegedly submitted a list of 675 Republican candidates to the elections board. Under Michigan law, party officials can submit such lists to help the elections board fulfill its legal obligations.
According to the lawsuit, of the Republican Party’s 310 election observers, only 52 were selected from Gunake-Nemeth’s list.
The Detroit Board of Elections is a three-person committee made up of Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey, City Council Speaker Mary Sheffield and City Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett.
The lawsuit asks that the Wayne County Circuit Court step in and order the department to comply with its legal obligations.
