More votes were counted than registered voters in Detroit
| More votes were counted than registered voters in Detroit | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "Detroit recorded 139 percent turnout, proving ballots were added." | |
| Domain | Politics & Elections |
| Tactic | Statistical & Evidentiary Distortion Fabrication |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | 2020 |
| Origin | An affidavit by Russell Ramsland Jr. filed in Michigan litigation, November 2020 |
| Last reviewed | 2026-11-03 |
| Further reading: books on Politics & Elections | |
The claim that more votes were counted than registered voters in Detroit came from an affidavit that misread precinct data.
What the evidence shows
- Actual turnout was about 51 percent. Detroit counted roughly 257,600 ballots from about 506,000 registered voters.
- The affidavit confused jurisdictions. Its percentages came from matching Detroit precincts with places outside the city.
- Courts rejected the suit. A federal court dismissed the lawsuit relying on the affidavit.
- Repeated at the top. The claim was repeated in President Trump's January 2021 call to Georgia officials.
Why it persists
An affidavit with official-looking numbers is persuasive to readers who do not check the source data.
Lessons for readers
- Turnout over 100 percent usually signals a data error, not fraud.
See also
Sources
- Detroit and Michigan election officials, November 2020.
- Federal court rulings in Michigan election litigation, 2020 to 2021.