An interview with Jocelyn Benson, interim dean of Wayne State University's law school.
As you've likely heard by now, a state election panel will have to decide the official outcome of Detroit's mayoral primary. That's because Wayne County's election board refused to certify the election. It should be noted that the county election board acted on the very last day before the deadline to certify the election.
The controversy centers on some 20,000 write-in votes that may have been incorrectly marked by Detroit poll workers.
Former Detroit Medical Center CEO Mike Duggan appeared to win the primary handily over Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon.
Despite running as a write-in candidate, Duggan won by about 16 points, according to unofficial results.
But if these almost 20,000 write-in votes get thrown out, the two winners would switch places, with Napoleon coming out on top, and former Detroit Medical Center Mike Duggan finishing second.
Whatever the outcome, Duggan and Napoleon will face off in November.
But this drama raises many concerns, including the ability of Detroit poll workers to do their jobs properly, whether there needs to be a recount, and whether---as suggested by Benny Napoleon--the U.S. Department of Justice needs to babysit the big November election.
Jocelyn Benson, interim dean of Wayne State University's law school and an expert in Michigan's constitutional and election law, joined us today to help us sort this all out.
Listen to the full interview above.
