Michigan: Election Shenanigans 2020, Part I

It's election season again, and there are various schemes afoot to discourage us from voting or to deceive us in some way so that we aren't thinking straight when we do vote. 

This article in the Detroit Free Press, "Michigan election, legal chiefs decry 'racist' robocall that attacks mail-in voting" by Dave Boucher, 8/27/20, describes a robocall that is going around in Detroit:

 

"The top elections and legal officials in Michigan jointly denounced a robocall making the rounds in Detroit on Thursday, labeling it a racist and inaccurate attempt to dissuade the use of mail-in voting.

 

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel said they want to warn residents that other misinformation campaigns are likely to crop up as the Nov. 3 general election draws near. "

Here is a YouTube version of the call.

The call claims that "voters who apply for and use absentee ballots are providing personal information that may be used by police to exercise warrants, credit card companies to collect debts and the CDC to 'track people for mandatory vaccines.'"

None of this is true.

"Don't be (inaudible) into giving your private information to the man. Stay safe, and beware of vote by mail," the robocall states.

"Nationally, President Donald Trump and other Republicans continue to repeat false claims about mail-in voting, arguing the process may lead to a rigged or corrupt election. Experts say vote-by-mail does not give an advantage to either political party and election fraud in any form is incredibly rare." 

According to the Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, it's a felony under Michigan law to deter or otherwise disrupt a person trying to vote. Someone convicted of this offense could face a $1,000 fine and up to five years in prison. 

Anyone who receives a suspected robocall should report that information at www.mi.gov/robocall and email the information to elections@michigan.gov, according to the news release

The President suggested in August that he will send law enforcement to monitor polls, a tactic that is well-known for voter intimidation. It turns out that is illegal, too, so he must have been kidding.

Here are two documents [one & two] on Michigan and Federal Election Day Offenses to consider before voting for the Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020 election.

***********

More voting information ...