Media Dismissal of Sworn Affidavits to Protect Unofficial Results – TCF Center (MI)

Media outlets across Michigan and nationally used unofficial election-night results to establish an expectation of decisive victory, then systematically characterized hundreds of sworn, notarized affidavits from TCF Center poll workers and observers as “baseless,” “unsubstantiated,” or already “debunked.” These affidavits detailed election administration chaos including the boarding of windows to prevent lawful observation, unlawful ballot adjudication, and the delivery of ballot containers after reporting deadlines. This media campaign – characterizing sworn testimony as unworthy of factual investigation – provided direct institutional cover for the certification of Wayne County despite 71% of Absentee Voter Counting Board (AVCB) precincts being mathematically out of balance. When Republican canvassers Monica Palmer and William Hartmann cited these record anomalies and initially refused certification on November 17, 2020, they were publicly identified, threatened, and accused of racism in a media-amplified intimidation campaign. The coordinated characterization of legitimate, documented concerns as “baseless” directly compressed the time available for factual investigation prior to the certification deadline.