The Michigan Court of Appeals
ordered the dismissal
of charges against James Holkeboer previously charged with election fraud related to activities performed in his role as an election inspector during the August 2022 primary election in Gaines Township, Kent County, Michigan.
Holkeboer was accused of utilizing a personal USB drive to procure a report listing the name and voter number of each voter. According to his testimony, he copied this data to cross-check records with a FOIA-able copy he planned to obtain from the clerk’s office post-election. This action led authorities to accuse Holkeboer under
MCL 168.932,
which prohibits election workers from damaging, falsifying or altering voting records.
In Holkeboer’s defense, it was argued—and the court concurred—that the activities he undertook did not fall foul of this particular law because he only duplicated the data, without altering or making it unavailable. The court concluded, while his activity was improper, it did not infringe upon MCL 168.932(c).
The court’s verdict drew a critical reaction from Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons. Responding to the decision, she
tweeted:
“This is extremely disappointing…Our citizens deserve to have faith in their elections and in those who work them, and this breach of public trust must be addressed…I look forward to appealing this decision.”
In the backdrop of the 2020 US presidential election, allegations of election fraud became more prevalent. Former US President Donald Trump, the defeatist of the 2020 presidential election, significantly espoused these charges, often questioning the integrity of voting machine systems and allegedly high turnout in Democratic regions. Despite his continued allegations,
election watchdogs and experts
maintain that there is no evidence of any fraudulent activities in the election.