IRVING TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — The same township clerk who allowed the Barry County sheriff to seize a voting machine for an investigation into unfounded claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election has asked a judge to allow her to bypass the system for this election.

Irving Township Clerk Sharon Olson asked a judge to allow her office to hand-count ballots, which is not allowed under state law. She’s also asking a judge to keep the Michigan secretary of state from accessing the township’s Dominion voting machines before, during and after Tuesday’s election.

The 92-page case, originally filed Friday in Barry County against Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, was refiled on Tuesday in the state Court of Claims.

Olson claims a nationwide glitch in Dominion’s voter-assist terminals, meant to help those with disabilities, “automatically destroys the integrity of the machine and of the voting process itself.” The machines, she said, won’t guarantee voters of Michigan a secure election.

The secretary of state has said the glitch can make it more difficult for those with disabilities to vote but does not affect security.

A statement released by the Michigan Department of State on Oct. 25 explained that the Dominion Voter Assist Terminals (VATs) allow voters with disabilities to mark their choices, print the ballot and then put it through the tabulator.

“If a voter using the Dominion VAT votes straight party but then splits their ticket, the voter will receive an error message. The voter will need to go back and de-select their straight-party selection and vote for candidates in the races individually or vote straight party without splitting their ticket. As is always the case, the VAT will allow voters to review their selections before printing the ballot,” the statement said.

The Secretary of State’s Office said it was not possible to fix the programming so close to the election and that it would only make the process more inconvenient for voters who use the VATs.

“The issue will be corrected for future elections,” the statement said.

Barry County First Deputy County Clerk Sarah VanDenberg said voters should not worry.

“That voter assistance terminal, those have been around for a long time. It’s like a large marking pen to help a voter. It’s somebody who might be blind or somebody who can’t use their hands,” VanDenburg said. “So, it’s not anything that’s going to flip a vote or change anything.”

The Irving Township clerk made headlines in 2021 when she allowed a Barry County deputy and a third party to take one of the township’s three Dominion tabulators for an investigation by Sheriff Dar Leaf.

The machine was later returned with a broken security seal. The state police seized that machine later for an investigation.

The Barry County Prosecutor’s Office said the sheriff found no proof of fraud and has criticized Leaf for continuing to investigate.

The sheriff’s investigation into claims of voter fraud all started with a call just before the November 2020 election from the Irving Township clerk to the county clerk’s office, according to then Barry County Clerk Pam Palmer.

Olson reported a vehicle parked across the street from the township hall with antennas and wires sticking out of it, Palmer said.

“She (Olson) was convinced that they were probably scrambling or doing something to her (voting) machine remotely,” the former county clerk later said.

Olson refused to speak with Target 8 on Tuesday.

The clerk is represented by attorney Stefanie Lambert, who is facing criminal charges in an alleged scheme to illegally access voting machines in Michigan after the 2020 election.

In an email to Target 8, the attorney said, “Glitch is slang for malfunction.”

The deputy county clerk said Irving Township assured her it is using the Dominion tabulators despite the legal dispute.

She said that voters should “absolutely” trust the system.

It’s not clear when the state Court of Claims will rule on the injunction.