A City of Detroit employee described in an affidavit, among other indiscretions, how she was instructed to improperly pre-date absentee ballots for the Nov. 3 election.
The affidavit was unveiled as part of a lawsuit by the Great Lakes Justice Center on behalf of plaintiffs Cheryl A. Costantino and Edward P. McCall, Jr.
"The suit states Wayne County election officials allowed illegal, unlawful and fraudulent processing of votes cast in last Tuesday’s election," the Great Lakes Justice Center said in a press release. "Numerous witnesses have filed sworn affidavits under oath attesting to the fraudulent activities they observed directly. These acts disenfranchised lawful voters and potentially changed the outcome of the election. The various acts of fraud are itemized in the complaint."
On Nov. 4, Jessy Jacob, a longtime City of Detroit employee, said she was ordered by election authorities to improperly backdate absentee ballots that were to be entered into the vote-tallying system by 9 p.m. on Election Day.
“I was told to alter the information in the QVF to falsely show that the absentee ballots had been received in time to be valid,” she said in the Nov. 7 affidavit. “I estimate this was done to thousands of ballots.”
Jacob said she saw poll workers routinely direct voters to vote a Democratic Party ticket.
“I directly observed, on a daily basis, City of Detroit election workers and employees coaching and trying to coach voters to vote for Joe Biden and the Democratic party,” Jacob’s affidavit reads. “I witnessed these workers and employees encouraging voters to do a straight Democrat ballot. I witnessed these election workers and employees going over to the voting booths with voters in order to watch them vote and coach them for whom to vote.”
Jacob also said she was told by managers at the TCF Center, where votes were being counted, not to check to validate or look for deficiencies in ballots.
Prior to being ordered to the TCF Center, Jacob had been assigned to a satellite office where she said she saw voters vote both in person and absentee and was instructed to not check the identification of voters.
Jacob, once the city’s top engineer, previously filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the City of Detroit.
That case contributed to the corruption conviction of Bobby Ferguson, who is currently serving a 21-year prison sentence for his part in a scheme to take $9.3 million in illegal profits from the city with former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick is serving 28 years for his part in the crime.
Jacob’s account was backed up by Zachary Larsen, a former Michigan Assistant Attorney General.
Larsen, who was serving as a certified poll challenger, said ballots were being removed from secrecy sleeves, which caused him to worry that the workers “could be or were being used to manipulate which ballots were placed in the ‘problem ballots’ box.”
He also noted that ballots were being processed without confirmation and alleged unequal treatment of ballots submitted without secrecy sleeves. In addition, Larsen said that when he became concerned that a poll worker was improperly inputting voter data and tried to approach a poll book, he was told not to approach the area due to Covid.
“I responded that I could not see and read the supplemental poll book from six feet away, but I was attempting to keep my distance to the extent possible,” Larsen said.
Further, Larsen notes he was disallowed from reentering the counting room after lunch.
“As we attempted to return, we were made aware that the officials admitting people had limited the number of election challengers to another 52 people who would be allowed inside,” Larsen said.
Plaintiffs in the case are seeking the ordering of a new election, an audit of the election and an order to prevent the city and county from moving forward with any vote-tallying activities until the lawsuit can be heard.
The lawsuit was filed against the City Of Detroit, Detroit Election Commission, Clerk of The City of Detroit and the Chairperson of Judge the Detroit Election Commission Janice M. Winfrey, Wayne County Clerk Cathy M. Garrett and the Wayne County Board of Canvassers.
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