A group of Black voters in Detroit, Michigan have filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump and his campaign for trying to overturn the election results by attempting to disenfranchise African American voters.
According to ABC News, the lawsuit specifically calls out the Trump campaign’s attempt to block the certification results in Wayne County, which is home to Detroit. It also alleges that they tried to “intimidate” and “coerce” local and state officials into replacing the electors.
“Central to this strategy is disenfranchising voters in predominately Black cities,” the suit alleges. “Repeating false claims of voter fraud, which have been thoroughly debunked, Defendants are pressuring state and local officials in Michigan not to count votes from Wayne County, Michigan (where Detroit is the county seat), and thereby disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters.”
On Friday (Nov. 20), the president met with Michigan lawmakers and reportedly made personal phone calls to two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers. The board members then tried to void the certification of the election results, but the secretary of state’s office said it was not allowed.
The Trump campaign released a statement to ABC News, but did not specifically address the lawsuit filed by the Black voters in Detroit. “Every American deserves to know that our elections are conducted in a legal manner, no matter who they are or where they live,” Jenna Ellis, Trump campaign legal adviser, said in a statement. “That’s our only goal: to ensure safe, secure and fair elections. That’s what our Constitution requires.”
On Monday (Nov. 23), the Michigan State Board of Canvassers are set to meet to vote on certifying the state’s election results. According to CNN, one of the two Republican members of the canvassing board is expected to vote against certifying the results. However, the other Republican indicated that he would likely vote in favor, which will certify the election results and formally grant President-elect Joe Biden the state’s 16 electoral votes.