DIVISION IN DELTA COUNTY: Recall election still uncertified as canvassers eye suspect ‘ratio’
ESCANABA, Mich. (WJMN) — The challengers who swept their races against the three Delta County commissioners in May’s recall election will not take their Oath of Office as planned.
First shown to Local 3 in an email from Delta County Clerk Nancy Przewrocki, the scheduled swearing-in of incoming commissioners Matt Jensen and Myra Croasdell set for Wednesday morning was called off after the local board of canvassers failed to certify the election.
Swearing-in of new Delta Co. commissioners delayed after canvassers fail to certify election
Victor in District 4 Kelli van Ginhoven was set to be sworn in on Monday, May 20, though that too will likely be canceled.
We spoke with several people who were in the room when the canvassers failed to come to agreement, but let’s first get our bearings.
DIVISION IN DELTA COUNTY: How firing an administrator led to thousands-strong recall movement
The numbers on election night showed all challengers defeating the incumbent commissioners in the May 7 recall election by a margin of over 40%.
The challengers taking their Oath of Office would have been a major milestone for those who spent much of last year working to recall commissioners David Moyle, Bob Barron and Bob Petersen after their firing of the county’s administrator last February.
Przewrocki told Local 3 the Oath of Office appointments were canceled due to Republicans on the Board of Canvassers declining to certify the election. She said while Democrats John Myers and Theresa Nelson and herself could find no issue with the election results, Republicans Bonnie Hakkola and LeeAnne Oman had enough suspicion to withhold their signatures.
Hakkola is also listed as the chair of the Delta County Republican Party.
Our calls to reach Hakkola and Oman have gone unanswered.
Soon after our initial reporting, Local 3 learned of a press release circulating on social media that appeared connected to the board members’ decisions. We have not been able to directly connect either with the document, but several sources have connected Hakkola to the letter.
It reads in part:
“A group of Delta County citizens is looking into recent election results. Working closely with Election Integrity Force member Joanne Bakale, Citizens for Electoral Justice member Scott Aughney, and former MI Legislator Pat Colbeck, the group identified several statistical anomalies and suspicious voting ratios.”
RESULTS: Challengers sweep Delta Co. recall election by wide margin
Specifically, the release cites the suspicion arising from two districts both having 2.64 votes for the challenger, for every single vote for the incumbent.
Przewrocki told Local 3 that during the Board of Canvassers meeting on Tuesday, Hakkola was taking calls from who she believed to be Scott Aughney. When we contacted the email at the bottom of the form, we got this response from a man who appears to be Hakkola’s son:
“Due to the harassment and doxing that my mother has faced coming from members of the community within the short time this has been made public, I will not be doing any on-air interview. You are welcome to send me your questions, via email or text.
“Our group will come together as a team and decide if we will do any on-camera interviews depending on our safety concerns going forward.”
Reply from Seth Hakkola
Several people in Delta County had posted or shared posts with Hakkola’s phone number, urging the public to call her about her decision not to certify.
Local 3 was able to get in contact with Pat Colbeck, who was cited in the release as working closely with the effort to investigate the election. Colbeck is a former state legislator who has spent much of the last four years investigating possible fraud in the 2020 election.
He told Local 3 he received one phone call from Hakkola, asking for advice on what to do, given her suspicions. Colbeck said he told her to reach out to a lawyer, warning that failing to certify an election when the stated criteria has been met could have legal ramifications.
Colbeck said his knowledge on the situation in Delta County was limited, but shared that he believed the 2.64 ratio could indicate an algorithm was used to inflate the vote to a set parameter.
It is unclear if Hakkola or Oman hold this belief.
By percentage, the votes break down like so:
District 3: 73.284%
District 4: 72.529%
District 5: 72.567%
You can also find the vote totals in our previous story.
The group is calling for a hand recount of the election, but we’re told a recount cannot be conducted unless requested by a candidate after the election is certified.
The Board of Canvassers will meet for a final vote on Monday, May 20. If the canvassers again fail to certify the election, the task will be sent to the state at the county’s expense. Przewrocki said if that is the case, she expects the election to be certified, and the new commissioners to be sworn in after that decision comes down.
This is a developing story. Updates, including additional interviews will be added soon.
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