After social media posts appear to show deceased individuals voting in Michigan, the Michigan secretary of state responds
The Michigan secretary of state's office on Thursday responded to a viral social media post showing what appears to be a deceased man who would be 118 years old voting absentee in Michigan.
YouTube personality Fleccas on Thursday posted screenshots taken from the Michigan Voter Information Center website appearing to show a man named William Bradley, born in 1902, having applied for and cast an absentee ballot in the 2020 election. An additional screenshot of what appears to be U.S. Social Security records show that Bradley died in 1984.
Fleccas posted a link to the Michigan voter index and invited his followers to try to look up Bradley's voter registration information themselves.
Turns out 118 year old “William Bradley” voted via absentee ballot in Wayne County, Michigan. William Bradley died… https://t.co/twChaCBqdO— Essential Fleccas 🇺🇸 (@Essential Fleccas 🇺🇸)1604552811.0
TheBlaze searched for "William Bradley" using Michigan's voter registration index and successfully found his registration information.
Bradley is registered to vote in Detroit, Michigan, at Precinct 141. His polling location is Plymouth United Church of Christ at 600 E. Warren Ave, Detroit, Michigan, 48201. His election clerk is Janice WInfrey.
According to the secretary of state's website, Bradley requested an absentee ballot on September 11, 2020. The ballot was received by election officials on October 2, 2020.
TheBlaze contacted the Michigan secretary of state's office, which gave the following statement:
Ballots of voters who have died are rejected in Michigan, even if the voter cast an absentee ballot and then died before Election Day. On rare occasions, a ballot received for a living voter may be recorded in a way that makes it appear as if the voter is dead.
This can be because of voters with similar names, where the ballot is accidentally recorded as voted by John Smith Sr when it was actually voted by John Smith Jr; or because of inaccurately recorded birth dates in the qualified voter file; for example, someone born in 1990 accidentally recorded as born in 1890. In such scenarios, no one ineligible has actually voted, and there is no impact on the outcome of the election.
Local clerks can correct the issue when it is brought to their attention.
TheBlaze also reached out to the local clerk, Janice Winfrey, for comment, but she did not immediately respond.
Fleccas posted several more videos of incredibly aged individuals who are still registered to vote and have apparently cast absentee ballots.
ANOTHER ANOTHER ONE: Apparently Donna Brydges (born in 1901) voted via absentee ballot in Mason County, Michigan. T… https://t.co/o6bz8qwbW9— Essential Fleccas 🇺🇸 (@Essential Fleccas 🇺🇸)1604559130.0
Democratic candidate for president Joe Biden was declared the winner of the Michigan presidential election by multiple media outlets Wednesday.
Biden held a reported 70,000 vote lead over President Donald Trump when the election was called. The Trump campaign has filed a lawsuit in Michigan challenging the results, seeking to halt ballot-counting until the campaign is given "meaningful access to numerous counting locations to observe the opening of ballots and the counting process."