Bergman, Walberg to Object to Certain Presidential Electors on January 6th

Washington, January 4, 2021
Today, Rep. Jack Bergman (MI-01) and Rep. Tim Walberg (MI-07) announced they will formally object during the Electoral College certification process on January 6, 2021. Since Election Day, constituents have demanded Congress launch a full investigation into potential fraud and election irregularities and ensure election integrity measures are enacted.

The Members stated, “The very foundation of our Democracy lies in the tenets of a free, fair, and secure election. Americans deserve to know only legal votes are counted and reports regarding irregularities, fraud, and failure to follow election laws are thoroughly investigated. Poll challengers have raised valid concerns about election integrity across our Nation that brings into question the results of the 2020 election and puts faith in future elections in jeopardy.

“While the easy answer is ignoring election irregularities – we will not stand idly by without taking every lawfully available option to ensure the outcomes of our elections can be trusted. This includes objecting to the electoral votes from disputed states where there is evidence warranting an investigation.

"Our options are not binary - Congress has an obligation to the tens of millions of Americans who have lost faith in our election process to prove that our elections are free, fair, and follow laws in place. We join with our Senate colleagues calling for an Emergency Electoral Commission to perform an emergency audit of the election results in the 10 days before the inauguration."

Objecting during the certification process is not an unprecedented action and was done as recently as 2017 when seven Democrat Members of Congress (Reps Jim McGovern, Barbara Lee, Sheila Jackson Lee, Raul Grijalva, Pramila Jayapal, Jamie Raskin, and Maxine Waters) objected to the 2016 Presidential election.

Additionally, in 2005, 31 House Democrats objected to the counting of Ohio's electoral votes in the 2004 presidential election claiming widespread irregularities on Election Day. 

In states across the country, irregularities have been brought to light since Election Day, including:

In Arizona - Plaintiffs contest that over 75,000 absentee ballots were reported as unreturned when they were actually returned. These absentee ballots were then either lost or were replaced with blank ballots filled out by election workers or other third parties.

In Pennsylvania - Lawmakers have alleged that the numbers don’t add up, and the certification of Presidential results were premature and in error.

A comparison of official county election results to the total number of voters who voted on November 3, 2020 as recorded by the Department of State shows that 6,962,607 total ballots were reported as being cast, while DoS/SURE system records indicate that only 6,760,230 total voters actually voted. Among the 6,962,607 total ballots cast, 6,931,060 total votes were counted in the presidential race, including all three candidates on the ballot and write-in candidates.

Additionally, The Pennsylvania Supreme Court usurped and contravened state legislative power by adopting a presumption that even non-postmarked ballots were timely and against state law- poll-watchers were denied access to voting stations. 

Pennsylvania’s Secretary of the Commonwealth violated Article II of the U.S. Constitution when she usurped legislative power by unilaterally abrogating Pennsylvania statutes that mandate signature verification on mail-in and absentee ballots. 

In Georgia - More than 300,000 individuals were permitted to vote who had applied for an absentee ballot more than 180 days prior to the Election Day. This is a clear violation of state law.

Additionally, video has shown poll workers counting ballots after poll watchers were asked to leave the location. 

In Georgia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania - Poll watchers and observers were denied entry to ballot counting centers by Judges of Elections and other poll workers. This was despite presenting proper certification and identification.

In Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania - Republican poll watchers were also forced inside confined areas, thereby limiting their view. In some cases, this confinement was enforced by local law enforcement. Failure to allow access casts doubt on the entire process.