What to know today 🌅
Two Wayne County Board of Canvassers trying to rescind vote certification
Two Republicans on the Wayne County Board of Canvassers are trying to rescind their vote to certify the county’s presidential election results.
According to the New York Times, Monica Palmer and William Hartmann signed affidavits in an effort to rescind their “yes” votes Wednesday evening. Hartmann and Palmer voted not to certify the election results earlier this week, before reversing course and certifying the results during a heated meeting.
Fast facts:
- The Wayne County Board of Canvassers certified the county’s election results Tuesday night despite an initial deadlock among board members.
- Two Republican Wayne County Board members -- Monica Palmer and William Hartmann - first refused to certify the results, but then reversed their decision that same evening.
- Palmer and Hartmann said they had concerns with what they called “independent comprehensive audits” and with out-of-balance precincts. They said there were discrepancies they were deeply concerned about.
- The Michigan Secretary of State has been asked to conduct an audit of any Wayne County precincts with unexplained mismatching vote totals, but Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said she doesn’t believe a request for an audit is binding.
- The Michigan Board of State Canvassers has until Nov. 23 to certify the election. If they don’t, it will go to court.
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🇨🇦 Report: Canada extends US border closure until Dec. 21
The U.S.-Canada border will remain closed to non-essential travel for another month, according to reports.
The current extension of the border crossing restrictions was set to expire Nov. 21, 2020. That has been extended until at least Dec. 21, CBC News reports. A formal announcement is expected later this week.
Coronavirus in Michigan 🦠
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 277,806 as of Wednesday, including 8,190 deaths, state officials report.
Wednesday’s update represents 5,772 new cases and 62 additional deaths. On Tuesday, the state reported 272,034 total cases and 8,128 deaths.
New COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise in Michigan. Testing has increased in recent weeks, with more than 45,000 diagnostic tests reported per day, but the positive rate has increased to above 13% over the last week. Hospitalizations have increased steadily for the last five weeks, including upticks in critical care and ventilator use.
READ: 97 takeaways from epidemiologist’s deep-dive into Michigan COVID-19 spread, deaths, future outlook
Michigan’s 7-day moving average for daily cases was 6,965 on Monday, the highest it has ever been. The 7-day death average was 61, the highest since May. The state’s fatality rate is 3.0%. The state also reports “active cases,” which were listed at 125,000 on Tuesday, near its highest mark on record. More than 138,800 have recovered in Michigan.
Here’s a look at more of the data: