ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. — On Tuesday, a judge ruled to dismiss the charges against two election workers in a Detroit suburb who were alleged to have enabled four individuals to cast their votes multiple times during the summer primary.
Judge Joseph Oster concluded that the evidence presented was inadequate to proceed to trial against the two part-time election staff from St. Clair Shores. The felony charges had been made public at an October press conference by the state’s Attorney General.
“There’s a difference between mistakes, overlooking, maybe even incompetence, and committing a crime,” Judge Oster remarked.
The defendants, aged 73 and 42, shared a hug outside the courtroom following the judge’s decision. This case has garnered attention from officials in various Michigan areas that depend on temporary election personnel for support.
Defense attorney Robert Ihrie expressed hope that the dismissal would encourage more citizens to volunteer for election duties, noting, “We hope the dismissal of these charges is a message to other people who may volunteer to do their civic duty and work a city election that they don’t have to be afraid to do it.”
According to Attorney General Nessel, four individuals had already submitted absentee ballots for the August 6 primary but were also present in St. Clair Shores to vote on Election Day. In Michigan, voting in person is not allowed once an absentee ballot has been processed.
The election workers faced three criminal charges, including that of falsifying election records, while the situation concerning a third individual remains unresolved.
The Attorney General accused the two workers of instructing their colleagues to ignore system alerts and distribute in-person ballots.
The office of the Attorney General is currently contemplating whether to file an appeal against Judge Oster’s ruling, as stated by spokesperson Danny Wimmer.
Meanwhile, legal actions continue against the four individuals accused of voting multiple times.