Michigan Sheriff Preps for Possible Ballot Seizure Amid Federal Election Scrutiny
As federal agencies investigate voter rolls and the president considers a national emergency, local officials brace for heightened tensions during the November midterms.
By Sarah Montgomery ·
Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf is preparing to potentially seize voting materials during the U.S. midterm elections, a move that could escalate tensions in a rural Michigan jurisdiction. Leaf, who has spent years promoting theories about foreign interference in local vote counting, told CBC News he would likely take ballots and then seek a court order if he found sufficient cause. "I have a duty to go out and investigate, and I'm not gonna back down," Leaf said during an interview at his headquarters in Hastings.
The 2026 midterms are approaching with the election denial movement holding significant influence within the federal government. President Donald Trump has openly considered invoking a national emergency to change how votes are counted. Legal expert David Becker, who heads the Center for Election Innovation and Research, stated that the Constitution grants states, not the president, authority over elections. Becker argued that the idea of presidential control is unconstitutional and likely to be blocked by courts.
Federal agencies are actively pursuing investigations into voter rolls. The Department of Justice is currently fighting 30 states for access to sensitive voter data while looking for evidence of non-citizen voting. The FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been assigned tasks to probe voter fraud, despite studies indicating the phenomenon is rare. In Fulton County, Georgia, the FBI seized ballots from the 2020 presidential election to investigate alleged irregularities, even though those votes had already been recounted three times to confirm the same result.
Local officials are preparing for various scenarios on election day. Autumn Butler, deputy executive director of Michigan United, said her organization is training "democracy defenders" in de-escalation tactics. Butler noted that the rhetoric surrounding the elections has become more violent, referencing a 2020 incident in Detroit where a crowd attempted to disrupt ballot counting. She said the group is planning for confrontations with armed federal agents or supporters of the president.
Sarah VanDenburg, the Barry County clerk, is working to maintain a cooperative relationship with Sheriff Leaf despite the friction caused by his beliefs. VanDenburg recently briefed Leaf and his deputies on election day rules, including the restriction that armed officers cannot enter polling stations. Leaf acknowledged the new information, saying some of the rules had not been taught to his staff before. The county is relying on community members to staff the polls, a strategy VanDenburg believes will help create a welcoming environment for voters.
Proponents of a national emergency, including Detroit pastor Lorenzo Sewell, argue that voting machines are vulnerable to foreign hacking. Sewell, who has ties to the Trump administration, suggested that a declaration would allow the president to order states to stop using tabulating machines and halt mail-in voting. He advocated for a coordinated public push to support the measure, describing it as a necessary step to secure the electoral process.
