Detroit Sued For Allegedly Deleting Ballot Box Footage After Republican Request

Detroit is under fire for allegedly deleting surveillance footage from a ballot drop box after the Republican National Committee (RNC) requested to see it. The RNC has filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming it violated Michigan’s transparency laws and undermined efforts to ensure election integrity.

The lawsuit focuses on an August 20 request for footage from a drop box at Wayne County Community College. Detroit asked for additional time to process the request, only to later report that the video had been deleted due to a 30-day retention policy. The RNC contends that its request was made in time to preserve the footage and that the city’s actions were illegal.

RNC Chair Michael Whatley condemned the city’s actions, calling the deletion “an assault on transparency.” The lawsuit seeks to hold Detroit accountable for its decision to erase the footage, which could have been used to ensure that absentee ballots were handled properly.

In its filing, the RNC pointed to a 2019 executive order requiring Detroit to retain records if a FOIA request is pending, regardless of standard deletion schedules. The lawsuit accuses the Detroit Department of Elections of deliberately destroying public records and is asking the court to impose fines and fees on the city.

With election integrity being a top concern for voters, particularly in Republican circles, the deletion of surveillance footage has raised significant concerns. The RNC’s lawsuit aims to ensure that Detroit maintains transparency in its elections moving forward and that similar footage is preserved for future scrutiny.

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