Mystery group wants copies of all Michigan's 2016 presidential ballots

John Wisely , Kathleen Gray | Detroit Free Press

Somebody with a lot of money wants copies of the ballots Michiganders cast for president in 2016.

All of them.

Clerks across Michigan are reporting receiving identical Freedom of Information Act requests seeking copies of the ballots and other records from the election in which almost 4.8 million Michiganders voted.

"Hundreds of communities are receiving this request," said Westland City Clerk Richard LeBlanc, whose city received the request earlier this week. "If this request is completed, it would be the largest one we've ever processed."

LeBlanc said his staff is still working on a response to the request and attempting to calculate the cost of complying with it. He has heard from other clerks who already have received deposit checks to begin fulfilling the request.

The request was dated Aug. 13, but it arrived on different dates in different places, LeBlanc said.

It is signed by someone named Emily, with no last name given. The request asks that the records be sent to United Action Group at a post office box in Astoria, New York. It lists a phone number and an email. The Free Press left messages in both places, but hasn't heard back.

Sally Williams, director of elections for the Secretary of State, said she has "no idea who Emily is," only that she is "aligned with a company that we can't quite find any information on."

"There was an unusual FOIA request, We get requests on a regular basis," Williams said. "There is an entity out there that has sent a request to many ... if not all of the clerks around the state, looking for copies of voted ballots from November 2016. We have an Attorney General opinion that they are open record."

Williams said her office is advising the clerks, who are busy trying to get ready for the November election.

"It’s unnerved a lot of the clerks," she said, "Rightfully so. I’m hoping we find out a little bit more about these requesters and what they’re seeking to do.”

Williams said she reached out to other states, including Wisconsin, and was unaware of any similar requests.

She said ballots have to be kept for 22 months after the election (which is up in September), “but we’ve advised the clerks that given you’re in an active FOIA request, you should not destroy those ballots.”

Among the records sought in addition to the ballots are:

Absentee ballots

Envelopes the absentee ballots were mailed in

Records listing the names of voters who requested absentee ballots

Provisional ballots, both counted and uncounted

MIRS News Service of Lansing reported that most clerks who have received it plan to seek a deposit before they begin making copies. But LeBlanc said if the deposit is paid, the request is going to be difficult to fulfill.

Under the law, only the clerk and the deputies can handle ballots. LeBlanc said his city has no copy machine large enough to scan the 2016 ballot, which was about 19 inches long. It will take hundreds of hours to do and may require special equipment.

"In our town, the check will clear before we lift a finger," he said. "This is going to be a lot of work."

Contact John Wisely: 313-222-6825 or jwisely@freepress.com. On Twitter @jwisely