James Renner

Role

James Renner — Former Lansing-area Republican precinct delegate.

The Michigan elector certificate

James Renner was one of 16 Michigan Republicans who met at Michigan Republican Party headquarters in Lansing on December 14, 2020 and signed a document declaring themselves "the duly elected and qualified electors for President and Vice President of the United States of America for the State of Michigan" for Donald Trump and Mike Pence, and falsely stating the meeting occurred "at the state capitol." The claim was false: Michigan's certified electoral votes, reflecting Joe Biden's certified win in the state, were cast by Michigan's Biden-Harris electors, at the Capitol, the same day. Michigan's document contained no conditional or contingency language.

Legal proceedings

James Renner was among the 16 charged in July 2023, but in April 2024 the Michigan Attorney General's office dropped the charges against him in exchange for his cooperation and testimony. He testified in the subsequent preliminary examination of the other 15 defendants that he did not believe anyone at the December 14, 2020 meeting intended fraud -- testimony the presiding judge cited as central to her September 2025 dismissal of the remaining charges.

On November 9–10, 2025, President Trump issued James Renner a federal pardon covering offenses related to the 2020 election. This pardon covers federal exposure only; no federal charges had been filed against James Renner, and the pardon has no legal effect on the separate (by then already-dismissed) Michigan state case.

Connection to the incident

See 2020 Fake Elector Scheme for the coordinated multi-state effort and its intended use during the January 6, 2021 congressional electoral count.