U.S. Representative from Grand Rapids, Michigan, speaks out on the attack on the U.S. Capitol

Statement from Republican U.S. Representative Peter Meijer from Grand Rapids, Michigan, on the attack on the US Capitol, 1/6/2021.

League of Women Voters statement on the Electoral College vote certification

1/4/2021

WASHINGTON – Today the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) CEO Virginia Kase issued the following statement ahead of this week’s joint session of Congress to count and certify the Electoral College votes:

“This week, Congress will count the Electoral College votes as required by the Constitution and affirm Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States. Any objection to this process is simply political theater which directly mocks and defies our Constitution. Still, these actions will not change the legally proven result of the 2020 election.

“In November, the American people turned out in record numbers to elect the next president of the United States, and the Electoral College confirmed the people's will last month. The electors from each state have certified their results, and the role of Congress this week is to confirm that the votes sent are the ones the electors certified. Congress has no legal ability to change those results. 

“While the League believes the Electoral College should be abolished, it is our current system for electing the next president. All elected officials must respect our democracy, accept the outcome of the election, and affirm the will of the people.”

Amen

2020 Election Results by the Numbers and the Foofaraw in Detroit

Election results by the numbers

National election results as of 12/2/20:  

Joe Biden has won the presidential election with 306 electoral votes (270 needed to win). Trump lost with 232 electoral votes. 

Georgia has gone through its third recount with Biden still winning and no substantial changes over the other recounts.

Popular vote, as of 12 02 20: Biden with 81,009,468 votes or 51.3% to 74,111,419 or 47% for Trump

In Michigan, Biden won 2,804,040 or 50.6% of the vote to Trump’s 2,649,852 or 47.8% of the vote.

The Democrat Gary Peters won a second term in the U.S. Senate with 2,734,568 votes or 49.9% to 2,642,233 or 48.2% votes for the Republican John James.

For more election results, see your local county or state election Website or check out Ballotpedia, an online encyclopedia of American Politics.

Without credible evidence, the Democrats in Michigan have been accused of stealing the election for Biden with fraudulent mail-in or absentee ballots. Using the same allegedly fraudulent ballots, however, the Democrats were not clever enough to steal the state House of Representatives that remains in Republican control. 

Nationally, the Trump appointed Attorney General William Barr declared on 12/1/20 that the U.S. Justice Department has uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election.

President Trump declared months ago, before a single vote was cast, that if he lost the election, it would be because it was “rigged”. Without evidence, he complained that allowing voters to use Mail-in or absentee ballots would result in massive fraud. That’s his story and he's sticking to it. 

Despite losing the election, Trump and the Republican Party have raised over $170 million on claims of election fraud, but the funds can be used for far more than legal challenges to elections. They can ultimately be used to pay down campaign debt, to launch a new political action committee, and to cover the personal expenses of Trump and his family.  [see “Trump campaign, GOP raised at least $170 million since Election Day pushing baseless election fraud claims” by Will Steakin and Soo Rin Kim, 12/1/20 from ABC News] 

One of the false claims made by the President regarding the election in Michigan, was that Michigan instituted universal mail-in voting "right in the middle of an election year." As some of you may recall, Republican and Democratic voters overwhelmingly approved changes to the state constitution that expanded absentee voting in 2018. 

Despite the foofaraw over alleged election fraud at the TCF center in Detroit where absentee ballots were counted, no credible evidence of massive fraud has been found throughout numerous court challenges. Problems with vote counting in Detroit were mostly clerical errors and fewer than 500 votes were ever in question, nowhere near enough to change the results of the election. [see The DD News Blog, "2020 election misinformation and disinformation…"] The situation there became chaotic when Trump began losing his lead in Michigan to Biden. A call went out to Trump supporters to flood the TCF center. It was perfectly predictable that more Biden votes were counted later than same-day election results. Democrats had been encouraged for months to vote by mail-in or absentee ballots and Republicans were urged to vote in-person on Election Day. Absentee ballots took longer to count because they had to be handled and processed without much lead time to have been counted more quickly.

This article from Politico,"The Inside Story of Michigan’s Fake Voter Fraud Scandal" by Tim Alberta,11/24/2020, is a good summary of how Michigan became the center of national attention following the election and unsuccessful legal challenges to overthrow the results of the presidential election. 

Most memorable was a statement by Aaron Van Langevelde, a Republican member of the State Board of Canvassers, made before it was clear that the Board was going to certify the vote that had already been certified locally in all of Michigan’s 83 counties: 

“'We must not attempt to exercise power we simply don’t have,' declared Van Langevelde, a member of Michigan’s board of state canvassers, the ministerial body with sole authority to make official Joe Biden’s victory over Trump. 'As John Adams once said, 'We are a government of laws, not men.' This board needs to adhere to that principle here today. This board must do its part to uphold the rule of law and comply with our legal duty to certify this election.'"

I am personally tired of the drama and want this thing to be over, but I suppose it is not up to me.

*************

By the way, here is what real voter fraud looks like:

"Florida attorney under investigation for registering to vote in Georgia, encouraging others to do the same" by Nicole Carr, WSB-TV, 12/2/20

See more on responses to Michigan legal challenges:

"State elections director knocks down Trump claims about TCF, fraudulent vote count" by Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press,12/03/ 20

2020 Election misinformation and disinformation continued…

In a follow-up to warnings about election misinformation and disinformation in Michigan, we are now experiencing both as Michigan’s vote count comes to an end. 

Manufactured Outrage - Biden is not magically finding votes

One of the latest reports of manufactured outrage, turns out to have been promulgated on Twitter by the chair of Texas' Travis County Republican Party Matt Mackowiak [see “No, Joe Biden did not magically 'find' votes in Michigan” by Clara Hendrickson and Kristi Tanner from the Detroit Free Press, 11/4/2020]

From the Detroit Free Press:

“A since deleted tweet posted by Matt Mackowiak, a conservative commentator and chair of Texas' Travis County Republican Party, appears to show that during one results update in Michigan, Joe Biden received 100% of newly counted votes. Attached to the tweet were two election maps appearing to show election results from earlier in the count and one from later. Mackowiak said he took the screenshots early this morning. Mackowiak acknowledged the posts were inaccurate. He has since deleted the tweet, explaining, 'I have now learned the MI update referenced was a typo in one county.'"

Giving credit where it is due, the Texas official deleted his tweet when he learned that it was based on a quickly corrected clerical error, but not before President Trump retweeted the misinformation to his millions of followers.

The maps shared by Mackowiak came from Decision Desk HQ, an election data company. The data company corrected a tweet posted with the false information and explained the mistake:  

"'This morning there was a clerical error in the Shiawassee, MI county presidential data.' The company explained, 'Once we identified the error, we cleared the erroneous data and updated it with the correct data as provided by officials. We stand by our data as reflected on results.decisiondeskhq.com.'"

Also from the article, “An hour-by-hour update from Associated Press data shows that there was no point in time when Trump did not post an increase in votes.” 

Chaos at the TCF vote counting center in Detroit

In another account of election confusion, “Chaos erupts at TCF Center as Republican vote challengers cry foul in Detroit” by Tresa Baldas, Kristen Jordan Shamus, Niraj Warikoo, and Evan Petzold,  from the Detroit Free Press,11/04/2020:

“A chaotic scene erupted outside the vote tally room at TCF Center in Detroit on Wednesday as election officials informed dozens of challengers that they could not reenter the room due to it being at capacity.  

“People gathered outside the ballot-counting area pounded on the doors and windows, shouting, “Let us in” and “Stop the count” as only about a half-dozen tables continued to count ballots on the day after Election Day.

“Police had to push back the crowds as they argued to be allowed in the vote-counting area. Republican counters shouted that they were unfairly being kept out, but Democratic challengers countered that it was not true because they were also being kept outside.”

The situation was exacerbated by Covid restrictions on the number of people who could be in the counting center at one time. Officials were letting 134 people from each of three groups contesting the vote, Republicans, Democrats, and non-partisan challengers. “But early on Wednesday, about 400 challengers were freely roaming the room as poll workers counted the 25,000 absentee ballots from Detroiters.” 

Vote counters were concerned about intimidation with people taking pictures of them and the counting process. Some of the challengers were falsely telling vote counters they had to stop counting because a lawsuit had been filed by the Republicans, but there had been no injunction to stop counting nor was there any reason to believe that the counters were engaged in voter or election fraud.

“Several lawyers asserted that the trouble started when GOP challengers tried to intimidate poll workers. And they were removed because they either took their masks off, got too close to the poll counters, tried to take pictures or got verbally aggressive.”

The confusion created by swarms of people descending on the TCF Center in Detroit during the counting of votes makes it difficult to sort out exactly what was happening and to whom. But anyone claiming to see a conspiracy in all this for massive voter or election fraud should have to watch the video below of the Livonia, Michigan, City Clerk Susan Nash as she demonstrates what happens when mailed absentee ballots arrive at city hall.

In my experience, local election officials in Michigan who are in charge of guarding against voter and election fraud are the nerdiest of upright citizens, determined to follow the rules in a fair, balanced, and transparent process that should be reassuring to the rest of us that the processing of absentee or mail-in ballots is in good hands.

Be prepared for election misinformation and disinformation

Gird yourselves for the coming onslaught of misinformation and disinformation between now, the day before the 2020 election ends, and the final results come in. It is possible that if there are legal challenges to election results, the surge of false reports, lies, and misleading images will continue. 

An article in the Detroit Free Press, "Heads up, Michigan. Here's what disinformation experts are watching for on Election Day" by Ashley Nerbovig, 11/02/20,  covers the kinds of misinformation and disinformation you may be subjected to: 

"Given attempts like these [photos and videos of long lines at polling places, stories declaring unofficial winners, and claims of voter fraud] to mislead or deter voters ahead of the election and the possibility that no presidential race winner will be declared on Election Day, researchers and experts on disinformation advise Michiganders to be extra careful about where their information comes from in the next few weeks.

"Misinformation is false information shared by accident or without the knowledge it is false. Disinformation is when someone deliberately creates or shares information that is incorrect to inflict damage, such as telling people the wrong date of the election. Learning what this can look like can slow the spread of false information."

According to the article, researchers with the University of Washington's Election Integrity Project created a list of what to expect in coming weeks:

• Uncertainty, anxiety and the potential that red-to-blue or blue-to-red shifts will create opportunities to delegitimize the election results. 
• Efforts to deter voting with images and videos of long lines, COVID-19 dangers and protests.   
• Voting process problems that may be strategically framed and overemphasized to fit misleading narratives.  
• Claims of disenfranchisement will be highlighted and there may be false evidence and narratives of voter fraud.
• Social media companies that take action to address election-related misinformation will be accused of censorship. 
• Lost or found post-election ballots will be politicized.
• Allegations of foreign interference will be made.  

"To slow the spread of false information, avoid sharing early results from candidates or armchair data scientists. "

This all sounds like good advice to me. Stay calm and consult trusted sources of information. 

***********************

See also, "Know your voting rights..." by Josh Peter, USA Today, 10/28/20

Michigan partial news roundup for October 30, 2020

I love newspapers. A print newspaper is best, but I can tolerate reading a daily paper that is on-line when it looks like the real thing and is not just columns of articles that you have to link to and hope you didn’t miss anything interesting. 

I enjoy the randomness of coming across stories like this one -“Traffic-stopping turkey becoming social media star” on page 2A of today’s Detroit Free Press or “Feds remove protections for wolves; U.P. hunt on?” on page 4A. Will Michigan reinstate a wolf hunting season in the Upper Peninsula? Are cats and dogs next???

The following articles are a sampling of stories that caught my eye. I have provided links to the on-line versions of these articles, so that you don’t have to go out and buy an actual print newspaper.

From the Detroit Free Press, October 30, 2020:

“Michigan sets new restrictions on dining, gatherings as COVID-19 cases rise”  by Dave Boucher and Kristen Jordan Shamus

Here is a little background to this story: The Michigan Supreme Court, on 10/2/20, struck down the 1945 Emergency Powers of Governor Act that the Governor used as her authority to issue directives during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ruling, however, did not affect other laws relating to public health. Most of the Governor's directives have been re-issued by the head of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. 

There are other issues, such as extending unemployment benefits, that have been approved by the legislature and replace similar directives previously issued by Governor Whitmer.

Local public health authorities have issued orders that continue those previously ordered by the state. Local businesses and public agencies are also allowed to make rules to preserve health and safety.

Michigan is now experiencing a severe spike in Covid-19 cases. According to the article,

“Cases throughout the state are up almost 94% in the last 14 days, according to data accumulated by the New York Times. As of Wednesday, the seven-day average number of positive cases was 2,365. At its peak in March, the seven-day average never topped 1,800 cases, according to data analyzed by the Free Press.

“Hospitalizations and deaths are also on the rise. More than 500 Michiganders have died from COVID-19 in October, compared with less than 300 in September. Michigan saw more deaths this month than any since May, according to state health data. “

More stringent restrictions have been ordered:

"The regulations include new restrictions on the number of people who may dine together at a bar or restaurant and establish requirements for eateries to keep contact information for dine-in customers.

"The order, issued by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, is intended to mandate mask wearing while in public, limit crowd sizes at private gatherings and in business, and generally promote actions that will stop the spread of the disease. 

"The order does not apply to polling places or anywhere else that someone may try to cast a vote. Masks are recommended but not required for people who choose to cast a ballot in person on Tuesday, when polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. “

“Michigan Court of Appeals denies Benson appeal, says open carry at polls is legal”, by Paul Egan, 10/29/20. 

The Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issued a directive to ban the open carry of firearms at the polls. 

You may remember pictures from April 2020 of armed men in the state capitol building in Lansing screaming at security guards during demonstrations demanding an end to restrictions to control the spread of Covid-19. Armed men were also allowed to stand in the gallery over the heads of the legislators while the legislature was in session. One legislator had the foresight to wear her bullet proof vest, just in case the situation turned really ugly. At least one of the armed men photographed in the gallery was later arrested in a plot to kidnap and kill Governor Whitmer. 

This was all legal under MIchigan's open carry law, although restrictions are allowed in public areas under certain circumstances. Action by the state legislature to restrict the open carry of firearms might have stopped this threatening behavior in the state capitol. 

Needless to say, tensions are high and Benson’s directive makes sense to prevent threats of violence at the polls. Her orders were overturned in court, however. Then the Michigan Court of Appeals denied Benson’s appeal of the ruling.

According to the article,

"The open carry of firearms will be permitted at the polls on Election Day, under an order issued Thursday by the Michigan Court of Appeals... "

"...In declining to hear the appeal, the panel said that although concerns about voter intimidation involving firearms are valid, the state already has laws to handle that.'Voter intimidation is — and remains — illegal under current Michigan law,' the panel said.

"Also, 'brandishing a firearm in public is — and remains — illegal under current Michigan law.' Therefore, 'anyone who intimidates a voter in Michigan by brandishing a firearm ... is committing a felony under existing law, and that law is — and remains —enforceable by our executive branch as well as local law enforcement.'"

In addition,

"'Just today, a poll released by the Detroit News and WDIV-TV indicated that 73% of Michigan voters say openly carried guns should be banned near polling places,' Nessel spokesman Ryanend nu Jarvi said. 'The merits of this issue — which impacts all Michiganders — deserves full and expedited consideration by our state’s highest court.'...

“Though Benson's directive remains without force under the Thursday order, existing state law could still prohibit some Michiganders from openly carrying firearms at some polling places. Schools are often used as polling places and guns are generally prohibited on school grounds, though concealed pistol license holders are allowed to open carry on school property.”

Here’s some good news:

"Surprise out-of-network medical bills now illegal in Michigan" by JC Reindl

“When receiving successful treatment to prevent preterm labor, Stacy Leick of White Lake Township underwent a 3D baby ultrasound at a hospital that was in-network with her health insurance company. 

"Three months later and back home with her new baby girl, she received an unpleasant surprise in the mail: a $750 medical bill.

"Unknown to her, the radiologist who may have read the ultrasound was a visiting doctor and therefore not in her insurance company's network — so her insurer wouldn't pay his full charges.. The doctor's billing company then went after her for the unpaid balance.”

…"That sort of surprise should no longer happen in Michigan because of new legislation signed into law last week by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after it passed through the state Legislature by wide bipartisan margins.

"The laws forbid medical providers from sending big surprise bills to patients who received emergency care outside of their insurance network, a practice known as balance billing."

Here is a link from the Detroit Free Press to a USA Today article on voting rights, just in time for the November 3rd, 2020 election:

"Know your voting rights: Here's what to do if you encounter intimidation at the polls on Election Day" by Josh Peter, USA Today, 10/28/20

This article covers the basics:

• The right to vote free of intimidation
• The right to vote by provisional ballot if your name is not on the list of registered voters
  
• The right to vote with accommodations
  
• The right to vote after the polls close 
• The right to re-vote

Michigan Voters: It's not too late to register to vote and to vote with an absentee ballot

Do you know that there are people who don't want you to vote? Voter suppression efforts have been ramped up across the country. Michigan is a swing state and is getting special attention by those who are afraid you might cast your ballot for the wrong person or vote on some issue that goes against their wishes. That makes this election crucial.

This is from the Michigan Secretary of State's Office:

 

October 19, 2020, was the last day to register to vote online for the November 3, 2020, election.

 

“…If someone has not yet registered after this deadline has passed, they may still register in person at their city or township clerk’s office through Election Day with a document verifying their residency. They can also apply for and return an absent voter ballot [there] at the clerk’s office in the same trip.”

“Voters who are already registered can vote early at their clerk’s office now and through the day before the election. On Election Day, already registered voters must vote at their local polling place. Clerk and polling place information is available at Michigan.gov/Vote.”

"Voters who already have their ballots are encouraged to return them as soon as possible — by mail NO LATER than Oct.19, or by hand delivering to their clerk’s office or ballot drop box. Ballot drop box locations for individual jurisdictions can be found at Michigan.gov/Vote. All absentee ballot return envelopes must be signed by the voter to be counted."

"...After...Oct. 19,2020, the online registration portal at Michigan.gov/Vote will include several warnings that voters must register in person to vote by or on Nov. 3, with instructions on how to do so."

YOUR VOTER INFORMATION 

Where are my clerk’s offices?
Where are my ballot drop boxes?
Where is my polling place?
Am I registered?
What's on the ballot?

Now Vote.

************************* 

from The DD News Blog 2012:

Make it stop!

Michigan Election Shenanigans 2020, Part II

When Michigan’s Attorney General Dana Nessel is not bringing state charges against would-be kidnappers of Governor Whitmer, she is following through on voter intimidation charges against the alleged perpetrators of racist robocalls to Michigan voters: 

“Political provocateurs accused of racist robocalls surrender in Michigan fraud case” by Dave Boucher, 10/8/20, The Detroit Free Press:

“Two alleged right wing provocateurs accused of orchestrating a racist and inaccurate robocall campaign to dissuade people from voting surrendered to Michigan authorities Thursday morning, the Michigan attorney general announced in a news release.

“Jacob Wohl, a 22-year-old Los Angeles resident, and Jack Burkman, a 54-year-old resident of Arlington, Virginia, were arraigned Thursday in the 36th District Court in Detroit. They pleaded not guilty on several felony charges related to allegations of voter intimidation and other election law violations.”

The article states that both men are known “to routinely stage fake events and purvey conspiracy theories that help far-right conservative causes and President Donald Trump.” They have pleaded not guilty to the charges and appear to see themselves as merry pranksters exercising their right to free speech. Their activities, however, are by no means harmless:

“The calls inaccurately stated law enforcement and debt collectors would use information provided by voters looking to cast an absentee ballot. The calls also said federal health officials would use the same personal information to track down people and forcibly administer vaccines. “

According to an earlier Detroit Free Press Article, Nessel’s Office determined that similar calls went to residents in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois. Investigators estimate that 85,000 robocalls were made.

Michigan: How to vote early with an absentee ballot

This is yet another post about voting in the November 3rd, 2020 election. 

****************************

This is based on an article from Bridge Michigan, Michigan's nonpartisan, nonprofit news source, “How to vote early in the November election in Michigan”, by Riley Beggin, 9/22/20

Voting by absentee ballot is already underway in Michigan. Jocelyn Benson, the Michigan Secretary of State, estimates that nearly 3 million Michiganders will vote absentee for the November 3rd, 2020 election, due in part to the expansion of voting rights put in place by a 2018 constitutional amendment that gave all Michiganders the right to vote by mail.

President Trump has been railing against early voting and claiming that if he loses, it will be because of voter fraud caused by mail-in voting. There is no basis for this claim and no one should give up their voting rights because of it. Voting on Election Day (with or without an absentee ballot dropped off at your local clerk’s office) is also an option, although the Covid-19 pandemic has made absentee voting more appealing to vulnerable populations.

You can find out your current status as a Michigan voter at the Secretary of State’s Voter information Website.

Here are excerpts from the Michigan Bridge article:

Step 1: Check your voter registration.  

“…All Michigan residents over the age of 18, who are U.S. citizens, who aren’t currently serving a sentence in jail or prison, and who will have lived in the state for at least 30 days by Election Day are eligible to vote. If you have a misdemeanor or felony conviction and have finished your sentence or are being held in jail awaiting trial, you are still eligible to vote. “

[Check to see if you are currently registered. If you are not, you can register to vote on-line until October 19, 2020.] 

…“To vote absentee in person, check the hours your local clerk’s office is open and go in. You can apply for an absentee ballot, fill it out and submit it all in one visit until 4 p.m. on Nov. 2. 

“If you’re registering for the first time, you can register and cast an in-person absentee ballot on Election Day, Nov. 3” 

Step 2: Apply for an absentee ballot.  

“Apply online for an absentee ballot to be sent to you in the mail any time before 5 p.m. Oct. 30. You can also download an application, fill it out and return it to your clerk by email, mail, fax or in person. “

[There may be delays in mail delivery, so apply for an absentee ballot in person and hand deliver it to your clerk’s office.] 

Step 3: Choose your candidates. 

“You don’t have to wait until you get your ballot to begin learning about who is running. See a full list of candidates by entering your voter information here. “

[Another source of voter information comes from the non-partisan League of Women Voters, Vote411 election Information Website. Read the directions on your absentee ballot carefully and make sure you look at the back of the ballot for more election choices.] 

Step 4: Sign your ballot envelope. 

“Put your ballot inside the secrecy sleeve. Then put that inside the larger envelope. If you forget to include the secrecy sleeve, it’s OK. Election officials will put it in a secrecy sleeve when they take it out to begin processing ballots. 

“Be sure to sign the outside of the envelope in the big box indicated for signatures. “

[Follow the instructions carefully] 

Step 5: Return your ballot to your clerk. 

“There are three options for getting your ballot back to your clerk:

• Drop it in a ballot drop box
• Mail it back
• Take it to your clerk’s office

“To drop your ballot in a drop box, first check to see whether your city has them. Visit this website, choose 'who is my clerk?' and enter your address under 'search for your city/township clerk.' Only drop your ballot in drop boxes belonging to the city you received a ballot from. For example, if you’re voting in Ann Arbor, don’t drop your ballot in a Detroit drop box.”

[Avoid mail delays and hand-deliver your ballot to your clerk’s office.] 

Step 6: Make sure your clerk received your ballot.  

"You can check whether your clerk received your voter application, whether they sent it, and whether they received it online here." 

Step 7: If you change your mind or made a mistake, spoil and recast your ballot. 

“If you made a mistake, changed your mind, or your ballot looks like it won’t reach your clerk in time, you may want to 'spoil' your ballot and cast a new one. Spoiling a ballot is the same as canceling the old one. “

...”The latest you can spoil a ballot is 4 p.m. on Nov. 2, the day before the election. If you spoil your ballot at the last minute, ask your clerk what your options are to cast your vote. “

Step 8: Celebrate  

"If you’ve made it through all of the above steps, it’s time to celebrate — you’ve voted in the 2020 general election."

Michigan: Legislators move to improve the counting of absentee ballots before the November election

While President Trump rails against the use of mail-in ballots by voters, claiming, despite evidence to the contrary, that mail-in voting leads to fraud, the dirty little secret is that mail-in or absentee voting is equally beloved by voters in both parties. Both Democrats and Republicans encourage voters to use this method of voting on their Websites. In Michigan, mail-in voting is exactly the same as absentee voting. Absentee ballots are sent to voters after they send in an application. No excuse is necessary.

In MIchigan, more than 2.1 million voters have already requested absentee ballots for the November 3rd election. The Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson anticipates that more than 3 million people will cast absentee ballots. With the current restrictions on processing and counting ballots, long delays in election results are inevitable. The good news is that the Republican-dominated legislature is working with Democrats to pass legislation before the election to speed up the process of counting votes.

An article in the Detroit Free Press, “Absentee ballots could be processed earlier under bill OK'd by Michigan Senate” by Dave Boucher, 9/15/20, describes proposals that should lessen the chances for Election Day chaos in an important swing state. Probably, delays in obtaining final election results will still occur, but the wait will not be as excruciating as it could be without some changes.

According the to The Detroit Free Press article:

“Right now, Michigan law prevents clerks from opening any absentee ballot until Election Day. Although the statute is one of several intended to maintain the integrity of votes cast through absentee ballots, it also creates even more work on a day that is already exceedingly stressful for clerks.

“That leads to long days and the potential for mistakes, as seen in Detroit after errors there caused hundreds of workers to remain at the TCF Center (formerly Cobo Center) well past midnight to count absentee ballots in the Aug. 4 primary election. “

Other impediments to counting votes include the requirement that only signed ballots received by the time polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day are valid. In the August 4th primary, many of the10,000 absentee ballots that were rejected, were rejected because they were received after Election Day, even those postmarked before Election Day. Although a bill passed by the Michigan Senate would allow clerks to start processing absentee ballots the day before the election, “[the Secretary of State] Benson wants lawmakers to take up measures that would allow clerks to count absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day and received within 48 hours of polls closing and would require clerks follow up with voters if they forget to sign their ballot.”

“‘The Bipartisan Policy Center recommends clerks have at least seven days to process absentee ballots before Election Day. This bill allows only ten hours, only minimal processing, and includes a sunset provision that requires clerks to continue their advocacy in years to come,’ Benson said in an emailed statement."

Ruth Johnson, a former Republican Secretary of State, who sponsored the Senate bill allowing the processing of ballots to begin the day before Election Day, is also pushing for more reforms that would alleviate some of the administrative burdens on clerks and make the vote count more efficient.  

These are all encouraging signs that legislators are taking more responsibility for improving the voting process and acknowledging that this is good for the state and its citizens.

Michigan: Protecting the right to vote with mail-in or hand-delivered paper ballots

Absentee voting has been standard for as long as I can remember for senior citizens, people in the military, people with disabilities, and others who have trouble accessing in-person voting on Election Day.

In 2018, a Michigan ballot initiative to expand voting rights passed overwhelmingly with bi-partisan support. Michigan now allows absentee voting for anyone requesting an absentee ballot. (Requirements for mail-in voting and absentee voting are exactly the same.)

To vote by paper ballot, go to the Michigan Secretary of State Website on Voter Information and follow these steps to make sure your ballot is counted:

• Register to vote or confirm that you have already registered;
• Apply for an absentee ballot;
• Follow the instructions carefully and fill out the absentee ballot;
• Mail it in or, better yet, hand deliver your ballot to your local polling place.

Michigan election law requires that local clerks’ offices begin mailing requested absentee ballots to voters 40 days before an election. Clerks will start mailing out ballots on September 24, 2020 for the November 3rd election. Vote as early as possible. You can track your ballot on-line to make sure the clerk’s office has received it. Voter registration and absentee voting is allowed up to the day of the election, but see the Voter Information Website for details. You can even change your vote before the election, but again, follow the instructions on absentee voting  carefully. 

Much of the anxiety being whipped up about voter fraud with absentee or mail-in ballots has itself a whiff of fraud about it or at least an apparent intent to deliberately frighten and mislead voters.

This article from the Hill, “Let's put the vote-by-mail 'fraud' myth to rest” by Amber McReynolds and Charles Stewart III, 4/28/20, sums it up in the first two paragraphs:

“Widespread calls to conduct the 2020 elections by mail, to protect voters from COVID-19 exposure, are being met with charges that the system inevitably would lead to massive voter fraud. This is simply not true.

“Vote fraud in the United States is exceedingly rare, with mailed ballots and otherwise. Over the past 20 years, about 250 million votes have been cast by a mail ballot nationally. The Heritage Foundation maintains an online database of election fraud cases in the United States and reports that there have been just over 1,200 cases of vote fraud of all forms, resulting in 1,100 criminal convictions, over the past 20 years. Of these, 204 involved the fraudulent use of absentee ballots; 143 resulted in criminal convictions.”

Read the full article for details.
 

Then there was this warning about voter fraud in Michigan tweeted by Donald Trump, Jr. in August 2020: 

 

“‘8% of the votes cast’ in Michigan’s Aug. 4 primary, 864 mailed ballots, came from dead voters. ‘NOTHING TO SEE HERE!!!’”. None of this was true. 

This article from the Detroit Free Press explains what happened in the August 4th, 2020 primary: “Donald Trump Jr. tweets about dead people voting in Michigan. We fact-checked the claim.” by Clara Hendrickson, 8/18/20: 

“On Aug. 14, the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office released preliminary data on the number of rejected ballots from the state’s Aug. 4 primary. In total, over 10,000 absentee ballots were rejected, including nearly 850 ballots cast by voters who died before Election Day. ..

 

"Nearly 60% of them were rejected because they arrived late. Absentee ballots must be received by the voter’s clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted

“The remaining rejected ballots were deemed ineligible for a range of reasons, including missing or mismatched signatures or voters who changed addresses.”
 

“Of the rejected ballots, 846 had to be tossed because the voters were deceased. These were not instances of someone completing and mailing an absentee ballot by stealing the identity of a deceased voter. [emphasis added] Rather, as Benson’s Aug. 14 release notes, they were cast by eligible Michigan voters who died after casting their ballots but before Election Day."

The Secretary of State said that ..."Based on the total of counted and uncounted votes, the number of ballots from deceased voters accounted for about 0.03% of votes cast, meaning Trump overstated it by a factor of more than 200. And none of them were counted toward the final results.” [emphasis added]

 

“...Rather than indicating instances of fraud, the rejected ballots show the state’s ability to detect and discount ineligible ballots.”

Secretary Benson said the large number of rejected ballots reflects the need for reform ahead of November’s general election.

And finally, we get to some real voter and election fraud that should give purveyors of fear and misinformation pause. It is not a good look for the Republican Party:

Although there have been herculean efforts to find voter fraud where it does not exist, there is one voter fraud database that is linked to on the White House Website. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, went looking for voter fraud and came up with underwhelming results, but at least the database reveals some of the details of voter or election fraud when it occurs.:
 

The Heritage Foundation “A Sampling of Recent Election Fraud Cases from Across the United States” explains the data it has collected:

“…This database is not an exhaustive or comprehensive list. It does not capture all cases and certainly does not capture reported instances that are not investigated or prosecuted. It is intended to demonstrate the vulnerabilities in the election system and the many ways in which fraud is committed.”

Let’s take a look at the Michigan database.

 
The most recent case on the list involves a 2016 felony conviction for Brandon Hall: 

“Brandon Hall was convicted of ten counts of ballot petition fraud stemming from the 2012 election. [Republican] Chris Houghtaling, who sought to become a candidate for the Ottawa County District Court, hired Hall to acquire the necessary signatures for his candidacy; Houghtaling reportedly did not care whether the signatures were collected legally or illegally, and even assisted in Hall's crime by providing him old 2010 petitions to copy. Hall, realizing he did not collect enough signatures, used a phone book to complete the rest. Hall's friend, Zachary Savage, assisted with the fraud, but prosecutors granted him immunity in exchange for his testimony. Hall appealed his conviction, which was affirmed. He is awaiting sentencing. “

 

That name sounded familiar. I wracked my brain trying to remember where I had heard it before. It finally came to me. Brandon Hall was one of the leaders of the protests in Lansing in April 2020, objecting to the governor’s stay-home order to prevent the spread of Covid-19. According to this article in the Detroit News, “Protesters gather outside the governor's Lansing residence over stay-home order” by Beth LeBlanc, 4/23/20: 

“Protesters carried American flags, Trump 2020 signs and Make America Great Again banners as they stood on sidewalks and in the governor's gated driveway. Some protesters carried firearms while others waited in their cars, honking horns in the residential neighborhood.” 

“…Organizer Brandon Hall of Petoskey estimated roughly 100 people attended the afternoon protest ...

 

"'It's time to open Michigan now,' said Hall, a 30-year-old conservative activist who was long based out of West Michigan. 'People who want to stay on house arrest can stay on house arrest, and people who want to work can work.'.

And then comes the blast of bad news from the past: “A month in jail for GOP politico convicted of 2012 election fraud” by Stephen Kloosterman, 12/27/16 and updated 1/19/19. 

 

It only gets worse:

“It's not the first time Hall has brushed with the law.

“In 2010, Hall was a Grand Haven School Board Member when $750 went missing from an elementary school's T-shirt sale to benefit a national charity. Hall was convicted of stealing and sentenced to two years of probation.

“Hall was also once the subject of a campaign finance complaint from a City Council candidate that his political action committee endorsed, the Grand Haven Tribune reported.”

This is such a bad look for the purveyors of voter fraud anxiety. 

 

In case you are interested, here is a YouTube video of Hall’s sentencing hearing on Dec 27, 2016. He appears to be genuinely sorry that he was caught.