IRVING TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A West Michigan township is now part of a statewide investigation related to improper access to voting machines.
Back in February, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office asked the Michigan Attorney General’s office and Michigan State Police to launch an investigation after they received a tip that an unnamed third party was allowed to access vote tabulator components and technology in Roscommon County.
“Protecting the integrity and security of our elections, especially from those who use lies and misinformation to deceive Michigan voters, is a critical component of defending democracy in this moment,” said Benson in a February release about the alleged act. “Michigan law is clear about the security threats that emerge when anyone gains unauthorized access to our election machines or technology, and I will have no tolerance for those who seek to illegally tamper with our voting equipment.”
Lt. Derrick Carroll with MSP’s 7th District in Gaylord said the alleged act occurred after the November 2020 election and after the tabulation of the votes had already been completed.
Caroll said it had absolutely no effect on the results of the 2020 presidential election.
State police confirm that investigation has since spread to several other counties in the state but would not explicitly confirm if Irving Township in Barry County was on that list. However, sources tell News 8 MSP raided Irving Township Hall in Barry County on April 29 as a part of that investigation.
News 8 reached out and left a voicemail for Township Supervisor Jamie Knight asking for more information about the Friday raid but did not receive a call back right away. Our crew then went to a special meeting Monday for more information on why the township is being investigated.
Knight declined our request for an interview. She said she knows very little and would not be releasing any information. She went on to say the township is in talks with its attorney about the situation. She also emphasized that Monday night’s special meeting was completely unrelated.
“We are not talking about this tonight. That’s not what our meeting is about,” Knight told News 8 reporter Whitney Burney. “Being a special meeting with an agenda about something totally off topic, we can’t even discuss it.”
News 8 also reached out to the Michigan Attorney General’s office, which was a part of the investigation in Roscommon County, for more information but it also declined comment.
MSP says the investigation is ongoing. State police could not say if additional counties would be included in the investigation moving forward.