Judge Dismisses All Charges Against Former Clerk and Attorney in Voter Data Case
A Hillsdale County judge dismissed felony charges against a former township clerk and attorney accused of allowing unauthorized access to 2020 voter data.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN — A Hillsdale County judge on Thursday dismissed all felony charges against a former township clerk and her attorney who were accused of allowing unauthorized access to voter data following the 2020 election.
Hillsdale County Circuit Judge Sara Lisznyai signed an order dismissing charges against former Adams Township Clerk Stephanie Scott and attorney Stefanie Lambert Junttila. Both defendants had been charged with one count of using a computer to commit a crime, one count of unauthorized access to a computer, and one count of conspiracy to commit unauthorized access of a computer.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel had announced the charges, accusing Scott of disregarding instructions from the state director of elections to present a voting tabulator to an authorized vendor for maintenance. Nessel also alleged that Lambert Junttila illicitly transmitted data on the 2020 general election from the Adams Township electronic poll book under Scott’s direction.
Background of the Case
According to a report from Reuters, Scott had publicly embraced disproven conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was rigged against President Donald Trump. She allegedly provided voter data to Ben Cotton, a computer analyst who investigated false claims of election fraud in multiple battleground states after the 2020 election.
“Ensuring election security and integrity stands as the cornerstone of our democracy,” Nessel said in a statement announcing the charges. “When elected officials and their proxies use their positions to promote baseless conspiracies, show blatant disregard for voter privacy, and break the law in the process, it undermines the very essence of the democratic process.”
Legal Proceedings
The pair had been bound over for trial in December before Judge Lisznyai dismissed all charges Thursday. The case centered on allegations that Scott allowed unauthorized examination of voting equipment and electronic poll book data from Adams Township.
The charges stemmed from Scott’s alleged cooperation with Cotton, who had been involved in examining voting equipment in other states as part of efforts to investigate unsubstantiated claims about the 2020 presidential election results.
Implications for Election Security
The dismissal comes as Michigan continues to focus on election security measures and protocols for handling voting equipment and voter data. The case highlighted tensions between election officials and those questioning the integrity of the 2020 election results.
Adams Township is located in Hillsdale County in southern Michigan. Scott served as the township’s clerk before the charges were filed against her and Lambert Junttila.
The dismissal order Thursday effectively ends the criminal case against both defendants, though the specific reasoning behind Judge Lisznyai’s decision was not immediately available in the court filing.
