Records: Too many votes in 37% of Detroit’s precincts

[Cripplecreek]

Voting machines in more than one-third of all Detroit precincts registered more votes than they should have during last month’s presidential election, according to Wayne County records prepared at the request of The Detroit News.

Detailed reports from the office of Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett show optical scanners at 248 of the city’s 662 precincts, or 37 percent, tabulated more ballots than the number of voters tallied by workers in the poll books. Voting irregularities in Detroit have spurred plans for an audit by Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson’s office, Elections Director Chris Thomas said Monday.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2016/12/12/records-many-votes-detroits-precincts/95363314/

[Cripplecreek]

Detroit’s mismatched votes

Here is a breakdown of the irregularities in Detroit’s 662 precincts:

■236 precincts in balance — equal numbers of voters counted by workers and machines

■248 precincts with too many votes and no explanation (77 were 1 over; 62 were 2 over, 37 were 3 over, 20 were 4 over, 52 were 5 or more over).

■144 precincts with too few votes and no explanation (81 were 1 under, 29 were 2 under; 19 were 3 under; 7 were 4 under; 8 were 5 or more under)

■34 precincts out of balance but with an explanation

Source: Wayne County Clerk’s Office

[cato potatoe]

I look forward to the findings of the audit.  Voter fraud should have disappeared with the mob.

[Suppressed]

■248 precincts with too many votes and no explanation (77 were 1 over; 62 were 2 over, 37 were 3 over, 20 were 4 over, 52 were 5 or more over).

@Cripplecreek

As a former Judge of Elections, I am not surprised by these results.  The people working the polls are not professionals doing this job every day, and clerical errors will occur.  It's not good, but I'm sure it happens. 

The question is, were any of the "5 or more over" hugely over?  If not, I'm inclined to attribute this to error rather than malice.  Heinlein's Razor.

■144 precincts with too few votes and no explanation (81 were 1 under, 29 were 2 under; 19 were 3 under; 7 were 4 under; 8 were 5 or more under)

So the vote isn't really secret, if it's known whether someone actually voted on the ballot when they went into the booth.  Maybe I chose to show up and get my mark in the register but not actually vote a ballot.