Election deniers under investigation for taking vote tabulators

The GOP candidate for attorney general is the subject of an ongoing state investigation into unauthorized access of vote tabulators.

Driving the news: The Michigan Republican Party's presumptive nominee for attorney general, Matt DePerno, is one of nine people under investigation for engaging in a conspiracy to access equipment.

• The group accessed and compromised tabulators from clerk's offices in northern and west Michigan counties, then brought them to Oakland County, Attorney General Dana Nessel's office wrote in a petition seeking a special prosecutor given the political conflict of interest.
• Also under investigation are State Rep. Daire Rendon and Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf.

What they're saying: The allegations are "astounding," Chris Thomas, the state's former elections director, told the Detroit News. "I have no idea what they did in there."

• "Maybe, they did something. Maybe, they did nothing."

The big picture: Even before the accusations, the race between Nessel and DePerno was one of the most closely watched attorney general contests in the country, writes the New York Times.

• The allegations signal that rural municipalities could be a point of vulnerability in the country's election system, especially as local officials face pressure from Trump-backed conspiracy theorists.