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Residents urge protection of local clerks, while a deputy clerk alleges missing envelopes from 2020 during Barry County meeting
Summary
Public comment at the July 14 Barry County meeting featured split views: Brian Green of Barry County Indivisible urged protection of local clerks and warned against outside interference, while Shelly Lake, a local deputy clerk, said her team has found thousands of purportedly missing absentee envelopes from the 2020 Detroit review and has passed evidence to the DOJ; the board did not take formal action on these claims.
During public comment on July 14, Barry County residents offered sharply different messages about election integrity.
"My name is Brian Green, and I am here representing the Barry County Indivisible," Brian Green said, urging the board to protect and support township and county clerks and to guard against outside pressure or interference in local elections. He said local clerks "are trustworthy public servants" and warned that allegations and outside interference can undermine confidence in lawful processes.
Shortly after, Shelly Lake — who identified herself as a local deputy clerk — described an ongoing local review of Detroit 2020 absentee applications and envelopes. She asserted her group has processed a large volume of materials and said, "So far, there's I think it was around 30,000 envelopes missing," and added that her team has passed preliminary evidence to the Department of Justice. Lake characterized the work as ongoing and said the project intends to finish data-matching and submit findings.
The statements present conflicting assessments. Green emphasized that multiple audits and court actions have not substantiated widespread fraud after the 2020 election and urged adherence to established procedures. Lake said the local review has uncovered irregularities her group views as significant and is pursuing further examination.
No formal board action followed these public comments during the meeting. Commissioners noted the remarks and then adjourned to a courtroom for a scheduled election-inspection presentation; the board did not adjudicate or verify the claims made from the public comment podium.
The transcript records claims and counterclaims from community members; the allegations described by Lake were presented as ongoing work and were not independently substantiated in the meeting record.
