{"id":2356347,"date":"2024-10-17T17:53:02","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T21:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/detroit-accused-of-deleting-ballot-drop-box-surveillance-footage\/"},"modified":"2024-10-17T17:54:58","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T21:54:58","slug":"detroit-accused-of-deleting-ballot-drop-box-surveillance-footage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/detroit-accused-of-deleting-ballot-drop-box-surveillance-footage\/","title":{"rendered":"Detroit Accused Of Deleting Ballot Drop Box Surveillance Footage"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdetroit-accused-of-deleting-ballot-drop-box-surveillance-footage%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2356347&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The\u200b article discusses a\u200b lawsuit filed by the Republican\u2064 National Committee (RNC) against the City \u2062of \u200bDetroit concerning the deletion of surveillance footage from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-urge-dismissal-of-doj-lawsuit-against-georgia-election-law\/\" title=\"House Republicans Urge Dismissal Of DOJ Lawsuit Against Georgia Election Law\">absentee ballot <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wow-shifty-dominion-uses-a-factcheck-statement-by-cisa-group-that-includes-dominion-to-prove-its-innocence-on-its-own-factcheck-page\/\" title=\"WOW! Shifty Dominion Uses a &quot;FactCheck&quot; Statement by CISA Group that INCLUDES DOMINION to &quot;Prove&quot; Its Innocence on Its Own &quot;FactCheck&quot; Page\">drop boxes<\/a><\/a>. The RNC requested this footage following\u2063 the primary elections on August 6, \u2063but after asking for\u2063 an extension, Detroit\u200d informed them that the footage had been automatically deleted after 30\u200c days. The RNC argues that\u2064 this deletion\u2062 violated\u200d the Michigan Freedom\u2064 of Information Act (FOIA)\u2062 and undermines transparency in elections, as the request was made well before the\u2062 footage was set to\u200b be deleted. They seek\u2063 an injunction to ensure that such\u200b footage is retained\u200d in future requests and \u200bdemand accountability\u200c from the city for what\u200d they perceive as a breach of public trust. RNC\u200c Chair Michael Whatley emphasized the importance of maintaining transparency to \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-achieves-major-election-integrity-wins-in-recently-wrapped-legislative-session\/\" title=\"Georgia secures key wins for election integrity in latest legislative session\">bolster public confidence<\/a>\u2062 in the electoral\u2062 process.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Ballot_Drop_Box.jpg\">Cliffordsnow \/ Wikimedia Commons <\/a> \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/deed.en\">CC By-SA 4.0<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/17\/detroit-accused-of-deleting-ballot-drop-box-surveillance-footage-after-republicans-asked-to-see-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Detroit%20Accused%20Of%20Deleting%20Ballot%20Drop%20Box%20Surveillance%20Footage%20After%20Republicans%20Asked%20To%20See%20It&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/17\/detroit-accused-of-deleting-ballot-drop-box-surveillance-footage-after-republicans-asked-to-see-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Detroit%20Accused%20Of%20Deleting%20Ballot%20Drop%20Box%20Surveillance%20Footage%20After%20Republicans%20Asked%20To%20See%20It&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/17\/detroit-accused-of-deleting-ballot-drop-box-surveillance-footage-after-republicans-asked-to-see-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/17\/detroit-accused-of-deleting-ballot-drop-box-surveillance-footage-after-republicans-asked-to-see-it\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Detroit%20Accused%20Of%20Deleting%20Ballot%20Drop%20Box%20Surveillance%20Footage%20After%20Republicans%20Asked%20To%20See%20It&amp;body=The%20RNC%20is%20suing%20Detroit,%20warning%20of%20'irreparable%20injury'%20if%20the%20city%20deletes%20more%20drop%20box%20surveillance%20footage.%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/17\/detroit-accused-of-deleting-ballot-drop-box-surveillance-footage-after-republicans-asked-to-see-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>When the Republican National Committee requested absentee <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/we-caught-them-lin-wood-outed-mysterious-georgia-operative-gabe-sterling-now-video-shows-him-admitting-he-helped-set-up-drop-boxes-and-promoted-far-left-activists-as-absentee-ballot-counters\/\" title=\"WE CAUGHT THEM: Lin Wood Outed Mysterious Georgia Operative Gabe Sterling - Now Video Shows Him Admitting He Helped Set Up Drop Boxes and Promoted Far Left Activists as Absentee Ballot Counters\">drop box<\/a> surveillance footage from the City of Detroit, the city asked for an extension &mdash; then said the footage had been deleted, according to a new <a href=\"https:\/\/prod-static.gop.com\/media\/documents\/2024.10.15_Verified_Complaint_RNC-Detroit_as_filed31302801.1_1729087199.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lawsuit<\/a> from the RNC. The party is now suing the city.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Deleting drop box surveillance footage while there is a pending FOIA request for it is an assault on transparency,&rdquo; RNC Chair Michael Whatley said in a press <a href=\"https:\/\/gop.com\/press-release\/rnc-sues-detroit-for-deleting-dropbox-surveillance-footage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">release<\/a>. &ldquo;This breach of trust is exactly what reduces confidence in our elections.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-6c05096c7ef366dbd05a2ada2f1f182a fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-6c05096c7ef366dbd05a2ada2f1f182a\"><\/div>\n<p>The RNC <a href=\"https:\/\/gop.com\/press-release\/rnc-sues-detroit-for-deleting-dropbox-surveillance-footage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sued<\/a> the Detroit Department of Elections on Oct. 15, claiming it had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislature.mi.gov\/Laws\/MCL?objectName=MCL-15-231\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">violated<\/a> the Michigan Freedom of Information Act by allowing the requested drop box video to be <a href=\"https:\/\/prod-static.gop.com\/media\/documents\/2024.10.15_Verified_Complaint_RNC-Detroit_as_filed31302801.1_1729087199.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">deleted<\/a>. The RNC is requesting an injunction to make the city retain election drop box surveillance.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;With the election underway, there is a real and imminent [danger] of irreparable injury that more video surveillance records of drop boxes will be destroyed after a timely FOIA request is received,&rdquo; the suit reads.<\/p>\n<p>The party was requesting surveillance of a drop box at Wayne County Community College following the state&rsquo;s Aug. 6 primary. The city asked for a 10-business-day extension to the Aug. 20 request, then replied that the footage had been automatically deleted after 30 days. The RNC claims its request was received 16 days before the video was set to be deleted.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit cited a 2019 Detroit <a href=\"https:\/\/detroitmi.gov\/sites\/detroitmi.localhost\/files\/2021-01\/Executive%20Order%20No.%202019-1%20Jul%203.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">executive order<\/a> that said record &ldquo;retention is <em>required<\/em>, even if otherwise authorized by a schedule, if a FOIA request has been received &hellip;&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-02385e539e7776b939b4f66e2ede6e70 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-02385e539e7776b939b4f66e2ede6e70\"><\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;Justice requires that the Department of Elections abide by the FOIA and maintain public records &hellip;&rdquo; the suit reads. The RNC is asking the court to find Detroit &ldquo;arbitrarily and capriciously violated the FOIA by destroying the video surveillance records&rdquo; and order the city to pay attorneys&rsquo; fees and fines.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We will hold Detroit accountable, as this secrecy has no place in a fair and secure election &mdash; Michiganders deserve far better,&rdquo; Whatley said in the release.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>For more election news and updates, visit <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/electionbriefing.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>electionbriefing.com<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-44ced36347f9fea492151736d947724f fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-44ced36347f9fea492151736d947724f\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Logan Washburn is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-clark-county-keeps-commercial-addresses-on-voter-rolls\/\" title=\"Lawsuit: Clark County Keeps Commercial Addresses On Voter Rolls\">staff writer covering election integrity<\/a>. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo&#8217;s editorial assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan is originally from Central Oregon but now lives in rural Michigan.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Logan Washburn<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/logan-washburn\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2024-election\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2024 election<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/absentee-ballot-drop-boxes\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">absentee ballot drop boxes<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/detroit\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Detroit<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/drop-box\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">drop box<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/drop-boxes\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">drop boxes<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/election-integrity\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">election integrity<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/lawsuit\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Lawsuit<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/michael-whatley\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Michael Whatley<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/michigan\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Michigan<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/republicans\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Republicans<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/rnc\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">RNC<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/surveillance\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">surveillance<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The RNC requested absentee drop box footage from Detroit, but the city sought an extension and later claimed the footage was deleted<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":507,"featured_media":2356348,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Ballot_Drop_Box-e1710351183974.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[41795,5897,43238],"class_list":["post-2356347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-ballot-drop-box","tag-detroit","tag-surveillance-footage"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Ballot_Drop_Box-e1710351183974.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2356347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/507"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2356347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2356347\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2356348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2356347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2356347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2356347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}