The Michigan Democratic Party is facing a lawsuit over the race for its University of Michigan Board of Regents nomination.

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The race was decided at the party’s Aug. 24 nominating convention in Lansing.

According to official party results, civil rights attorney Huwaida Arraf lost her bid for the party’s nomination for the U of M Board of Regents.

But Arraf said there were irregularities she’d like explained. She said her lawsuit is because party leaders haven’t provided election data she’s been asking for.

“If there’s something [that] happened that we don’t understand, then just tell us,” Arraf told reporters during a press call Thursday.

Arraf’s claims include that more people voted in the race than were credentialed and that the party barred her campaign from observing the vote tabulation process during the August convention.

One source of confusion was the party’s weighted voting system in which “each county’s (or portion thereof) delegates within a multi-county Congressional District Convention, caucus, or meeting, or at the State Convention, have a voting strength proportional to the number of Democratic voters from that county (or portion) at the last General Election relative to the total number of Democratic voters in the District or the state, regardless of how many delegates are present at the convention, caucus, or meeting.”

A press release sent by Arraf’s campaign earlier this week included screenshots that the campaign said show email exchanges with party chair Lavora Barnes listing out raw vote totals and weight equivalent.

In her lawsuit, Arraf is asking Michigan’s 30th Circuit Court in Ingham County to bar the race results from being finalized to the general election ballot until “a full and transparent investigation or audit of the University of Michigan Regents vote-counting process” takes place.

In a statement, a Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson said, “We are waiting to review the complaint filed with the Ingham County Clerk and look forward to following the proper legal process.”

Arraf had entered the race later than her two opponents, whom were already serving on the board and seeking renomination. She came in with support of pro-Palestinian activists.

While talking to reporters, Arraf acknowledged she very well may have lost the race. But she accused the party of sending the wrong message to her supporters by not being transparent.

“Encouraging young people, encouraging minorities, encouraging historically disenfranchised people to get involved in the voting process, what we hear over and over and over again is, ‘What does it matter? My vote doesn’t count anyway.’ And this is exactly the message that they’re getting now,” Arraf said.

According to court records, Ingham County Judge James Jamo has sent a first hearing in the case for Friday at 9 a.m.

Reporting by Colin Jackson, MPRN

Other headlines for Friday, Sept. 6, 2024:

•  The city of Detroit is now accepting applications from senior citizen homeowners who wish to apply for a discount on their Solid Waste Fee for their home.
• This Sunday will be the last day to check out the Michigan Science Center’s “Above and Beyond” exhibition offering a 360-degree view of Earth in Orbit.
• The Detroit Board of Police Commissioners is seeking applications for the BOPC Youth Advisory Panel. Applications are due Sept. 30.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

A family is suing a Wayne County judge after he ordered a teenager into jail clothes and handcuffs during a field trip at the courthouse.

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On a field trip with The Greening of Detroit Aug. 13, 15-year-old Eva Goodman was singled out by 36th District Court Judge Kenneth King for falling asleep and having what he considered a bad attitude, the Associated Press reported.

King had Goodman handcuffed, changed into jail clothes and threatened in front of her peers with juvenile detention. The family is accusing the judge of humiliation, false arrest and unlawful detention in the lawsuit filed on Wednesday, which seeks more than $75,000 in damages.

The lawsuit states that King’s actions were “extreme and outrageous and calculated for the purpose of inflicting fear and severe emotional distress.”

Goodman’s mother told reporters that her daughter was probably tired because they do not have a permanent residence.

King was removed from courtroom duties last week until he completes training. 

Reporting by Ed White, Associated Press

Other headlines for Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024:

• School starts next week for many districts, and Michigan State Police is reminding parents to check on the safety history of local school buses.
• The Episcopal Church of the Messiah will be hosting its third gun destruction event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24 at the church, 231 E. Grand Blvd., Detroit.
• The community group Avalon Village is accepting applications for “Hood Camp,” a unique camping experience designed to teach urban survival skills to kids ages 12-18.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.