Michigan election worker charged with tampering with voter registration data

An election worker in a western Michigan town has been charged with two felonies after allegedly inserting a flash drive into a computer containing confidential voter registration data during an election in August, local officials said on Wednesday.

At the August 2 primary, an election worker was seen inserting a USB drive into a computer used to administer the election at a precinct in Gaines Township in Kent County, according to a statement by county clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons.

The incident highlights the so-called insider threat risk that has more worried election officials, especially in battleground states like Michigan, where falsehoods about voter fraud in the 2020 election have been the most widely known.

This incident is extremely egregious and incredibly alarming. The statement says that it is a violation of Michigan law, but it is a violation of public trust and of the oath all election workers are required to take.

Chris Becker, the county's prosecuting attorney, said he had charged the election worker, James Donald Holkeboer, with falsifying election records and using a computer to commit a crime. He could face up to nine years in prison if convicted.

Holkeboer could not be reached for comment.

She said that Holkeboer was not an employee of the county or Gaines Township, and was one of the everyday citizens trained and certified by clerks to work the precincts and absentee county boards.

The election worker was seen inserted by a witness at a precinct in Gaines Township, inserting a USB drive into the Electronic Poll Book, the computer used to administer the election. The poll book contains voter registration data, including confidential information that is not allowed to be released under Michigan laws.

Lyons said the breach did not affect the outcome of the August primary, as it occurred after the files had already been saved to the precinct's encrypted system. She said the poll book is not connected to any tabulation equipment or the internet.

Following the presidential election in Michigan, there have been a series of security breaches related to voting equipment, with supporters of former President Donald Trump and his baseless claims about widespread voter fraud seeking access to tabulators in various locations in the state.

Last month, Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, appointed a special prosecutor to oversee the criminal investigation her office had kicked off into the security breaches. She wanted to step back from the probe because her Republican challenger Matt DePerno, a November election candidate, was among nine people facing possible charges.

A Michigan Secretary of State spokesman said the breached equipment in Gaines Township has been decommissioned and will not be used in the November general election.

Angela Benander said in an emailed statement that our elections remain secure and safe, but we take seriously all violations of election law and will continue to work with the authorities to make sure there are consequences for those who break the law.