The claim: Michigan authorized a full forensic audit
Michigan already completed the most comprehensive series of post-election audits in the state’s history, confirming the 2020 presidential election results. But some social media posts assert the state isn’t done scrutinizing those results.
The claim comes amid the Arizona Republican Senate’s audit of the 2020 election results in the state’s most populous county, where an unofficial hand recount of 2.1 million ballots is taking place.
Post-election audits in Arizona and Michigan turned up zero evidence of systemic voter fraud and confirmed the Election Day results, but falsehoods surrounding vote results in the battleground states have persisted on social media.
“BREAKING: Michigan has authorized a full forensic audit of the 2020 Presidential Election,” reads a screen grab of a tweet shared to Facebook on May 10.
Similar versions of the claim have been shared widely on Instagram and Facebook. One user linked the purported forensic audit to an ongoing election lawsuit in Antrim County, Michigan.
“After a preliminary audit of Dominion machines in Antrim County turned up MAJOR fraud Michigan now wants a full forensic audit,” reads a May 9 Facebook post with over 500 shares.
The claim also gained traction on Twitter in a May 10 post by former NHL player Dustin Penner with over 14,000 likes and 3,400 retweets.
USA TODAY reached out to Penner and the social media users for comment.
All of these claims are…
