Michigan State Police found missing election equipment after it had disappeared earlier this week in a rural county.
The tablet in question, which acts as the interface for a Hillsdale County election machine, went missing after Stephanie Scott, a clerk in Adams Township, refused to sign off on the required procedures to prepare for the Nov. 2 election and was relieved of her authority to run elections.
“The missing election equipment from Adams Township was recovered by the Michigan State Police from the township hall today, and the investigation to determine if it was tampered with is ongoing,” Tracy Wimmer, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of State, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “In the interim, the secretary will continue fighting to hold accountable anyone who threatens the integrity or security of Michigan elections.”
“We do not have further comment on the specifics of any matter that is currently the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation, but we will and do refer any suspected violation of state or federal election law to the proper authorities,” the statement added.
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Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced on Monday that she stripped Scott of her powers to run elections, including next week’s, after she “failed to comply with legal requirements necessary to ensure the safety and security of upcoming elections.”
Scott, raising the specter of election fraud claims, said she was worried about old data being wiped from the machines.
“When you have the fox guarding the henhouse, somebody’s got to stand up and guard those hens,” Scott told Bridge Michigan.
After stripping Scott of her authority, Michigan Bureau of Elections Director Jonathan Brater installed Hillsdale County Clerk Marney Kast to oversee the Nov. 2 election for Adams Township.
When Kast attempted to find the device earlier this week, she said she was unable to find the datapad component required to operate the machine.
“I don’t know where it’s at or if it’s been tampered with,” Kast said.
Brater said the equipment in question, from Hart Intercivic, does not internally save data from past elections. Instead, officials say the results are housed in a USB drive then downloaded to a county server for preservation. Any paper ballots are saved as well.
State officials, who have disputed the notion of widespread fraud in the 2020 contest, contend that Scott is spreading misinformation about the machines in question, specifically that they store old voting data.
Some attention has been brought to statements Scott made on social media, including several related to QAnon, including the conspiracy theory’s motto “WWG1WGA,” or “Where we go one we go all.”
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“The voters of Adams Township expect, deserve, and have a right to have their election carried out in accordance with all state and federal laws,” Benson said in a statement.
