LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — The head of Dominion Voting Systems is setting the record straight.
He testified under oath before state Senators Tuesday, defending his company from what he says is “a dangerous and reckless disinformation campaign.”
This comes as lawmakers in both the House and Senate agreed to subpoena both Detroit and Livonia city clerks over election concerns.
As a result of the subpoenas, the clerks will need to produce documents and evidence to show state lawmakers how they ran their elections. All of this coming on the heels of unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud, specifically in Antrim county. During Tuesday's Senate hearing, Dominion’s CEO tried to put those claims to rest.
“Unfortunately, Dominion has recently been thrust into the national spotlight as part of a dangerous and reckless disinformation campaign aimed at sewing doubt and confusion over the 2020 presidential election," said John Poulos, CEO of Dominion Voting Systems.
Poulos testified before state lawmakers Tuesday, defending his company from conspiracy theories after a clerk in Antrim made a mistake while reporting unofficial results on election night, giving Trump votes to Biden.
The error was quickly fixed, but that hasn’t stopped growing claims that Dominion somehow switched votes, something CEO John Poulos, under oath, refuted.
“All the tabulator does is count the votes from the paper ballots that have been created and securely cast by the voters. The number reported by the machine can always be compared to a hand count of those original paper ballots," said Poulos.
President Trump — continuing to add to the conspiracies on social media — posted a tweet, referencing a report widely disputed by local clerks and Michigan elections officials and even flagged by Twitter.
— Michigan Department of State (@MichSoS) December 15, 2020
Dominion voting equipment was used in 65 Michigan counties.
“Those people making baseless claims, surely know they are lies. But many honest Americans see them proliferated on social media and they believe them," said Poulos.
Meanwhile, Chair of the House Oversight Committee, Republican State Rep. Matt Hall said the following on subpoenas to Livonia and Detroit city clerks.
“….These additional measures will allow us to look at the evidence and confirm the truth. That evidence lies within records, documents and communications from local officials who oversaw election processes in communities where irregularities have been reported.”
Under the subpoenas, Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey and Livonia Clerk Susan Nash will have until Jan. 12 at 5 p.m. to produce evidence to lawmakers.
Read Rep. Matt Hall's full statement below:
“I’ve maintained that it is vitally important as we go forward in Michigan to ensure our election procedures are transparent, efficient and trustworthy when people go to the polls. This stance isn’t a partisan one. It’s something we all should strive for.
“It’s also something that people have demanded from their elected representatives following the most recent election. There have been several reports of irregularities in the immediate aftermath that made people question if Michigan’s elections system could be trusted, and if it is both free and fair.
“The House and Senate Oversight Committees have heard testimony and claims about this election. We’ve also heard from officials who have responded to those claims. These additional measures will allow us to look at the evidence and confirm the truth.
“That evidence lies within records, documents and communications from local officials who oversaw election processes in communities where irregularities have been reported. We need to review plans and outlines for Detroit and Livonia’s absent voter counting structure, as well as qualified voter file information and lists of poll workers, their party affiliations and training procedures. Surveillance footage, hard drives and other storage materials such as USB drives can deliver us additional information that will help us see how these elections functioned and where they can operate more efficiently.
“This information can help complete our picture as we work to provide people throughout our state with clarity and answers they deserve – so they can have an elections system that they trust going forward.”
