Winfrey describes threats in wake of 2020 election to congressional panel – Detroit Free Press

TCF Center in Detroit erupting as counting continues

A chaotic scene erupted outside the vote tally room at TCF Center in Detroit as election officials informed dozens of challengers that they could not reenter the room due to it being over-capacity.

Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press

Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey on Wednesday described how she and other election officials were threatened and harassed in the wake of the 2020 presidential election after President Donald Trump madebaseless claims of corruption in the outcome.

"Threats were made against me, my staff and Detroit poll workers by phone, by email and in person," Winfrey said in testimony to the U.S. House Administration Committee, which held a hearing on threats of election subversion amid Trump's continued lies that the election was fraudulent.

The committee is considering whether legislation is needed to protect election officials and workers from harassment.

Trump lost Michigan to President Joe Biden by more than 154,000 votes and Republican lawmakers in Lansing, as well as elections officials and Trump's own Justice Department, have concluded there wasn't any evidence of widespread fraud. But Trump has continued to claim fraud, especially in Detroit, despite having done better in that city in 2020 than he did in 2016 when he faced Hillary Clinton.

More: Report: Barr rejected Trump's allegations of Detroit voter fraud. Trump called him worthless

More: Here's how Biden beat Trump in Michigan and it wasn't corruption

More: Trump's false claims are whipping up Republicans. They might also hurt their chances

After Trump pressed his claims, there were numerous incidents in Michigan and several other states where his supporters protested, threatened or harassed election officials or staff pressing claims of fraud that were never proven.

Winfrey said she expected to receive more harassment for merely appearing before the committee.

"Some of my colleagues have been shot at ... all of us have been threatened," she said, though she didn't elaborate on the circumstances of anyone who may have been targeted by firearms. "We just want to uphold democracy. ... It's unfair that we're attacked for doing our jobs."

"I feel afraid," she continued. "I know I'm going to get some kind of repercussion for just sitting here today."

In her testimony, Winfrey said the most direct threat she encountered came some time after she had testified, despite having been diagnosed with COVID-19, to election officials responsible for certifying the vote.

Walking in her neighborhood, she said "an unknown Caucasian male approximately 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds approached me ... and abruptly stated, 'I've been waiting for you at work and decided to come by your house.' "

Winfrey said the man continued, saying, "Why did you cheat?" and "Why did you allow Trump to lose? You are going to pay dearly for your actions in this election."

"He approached me in a threatening manner, coming closer and closer and my only recourse was to yell, 'I have COVID-19 and I will spit on you!' " she said.

Winfrey said a neighbor who was driving by intervened, asking whether Winfrey was OK and using her car to block the man while the Detroit clerk got home. But that wasn't the end, she said.

"Later that evening, I receive a message on Facebook stating that he was going to blow up my block and that I was a chicken head and ugly in person," she said, adding that she contacted Detroit police. "As recently as February 2021, I was notified by (Detroit police) that the police would be patrolling my home for the next couple of weeks. My husband and I decided to simply leave home."

Winfrey who also said she received insults and threats via social media and texts on her cellphone noted she wasn't the only election official to be harassed, as state and other local officials also received threats. She also noted that during the counting of absentee ballots at TCF Center in Detroit, several Republican challengers had to be removed because of "disruptive conduct."

"Some wore intimidating masks over their entire face, others banged on the walls and windows shouting, 'STOP THE VOTE,' " she said. "Others violated social distancing standards and, as required by COVID-19 rules, refused to place protectivemasks over their noses when asked. It appeared that this disruption attempted to undermine the tabulation of absentee ballots."

In response to a question from U.S. Rep. G.K. Buttterfield, D-N.C., Winfrey said her staff was shaken by both the COVID-19 pandemic and the harassment they received. "A number of my senior staff decided to take off work, to take (family leave). ... The overall climate ... is one of fear almost. Peopleare wanting to retire."

Winfreysaid the role of local clerks to protect the integrity of the vote is vital and asked the committee to take steps to protect them from harassment and intimidation while conducting their official duties.

"We need laws to protect us for simply doing our jobs," she said. "I'm not partisan in my job and, as such, me and my staff, we shouldn't be threatened. We shouldn't do the job fearfully."

Winfrey, who has served four terms as Detroits chief election officer, is up for reelection this fall. She will face three challengers in the citys upcoming Aug. 3 primary.

Shehas spoken out against bills introduced by Republican state lawmakers that someelection officials and voting rights advocates say would disenfranchise voters in the state based on misinformation that the Nov. 3 election was rife with fraud.

While Winfrey has positioned herself as an advocate for the citys voters, some of her challengers have argued that she hasnt done enough to ensure elections in the city are accessible and addressed persistent problems with mismatches between the number of ballots recorded as cast in the pollbook and the number of ballots counted.

Those concerns came to a boil after the August 2020 primary election when nearly three-quarters of the citys precincts recorded imbalances between the number of absentee ballots counted and the number of ballots recorded as cast, which state election officials attributed to recording errors. That prompted the Wayne County Board of Canvassers to ask state election officials to step in to help the city during the presidential election.

During the November election, about 70% of the counting boards charged with counting absentee ballots cast by the citys voters were out of balance without an explanation, but a post-election review was able to reconcile and resolve many of the discrepancies.

Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @tsspangler. Read more on Michigan politics and sign up for our elections newsletter.

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Winfrey describes threats in wake of 2020 election to congressional panel - Detroit Free Press