 George, This is likely the last week the legislature will be in session before adjourning for the summer, and after nearly six months in session, the Republican-controlled legislature has done almost nothing for election integrity. One of the few bills to have gone anywhere is Senate Bill 285/303/304, which together require ID to vote, including to vote absentee. But after passing the Senate last week, House Elections Committee Chair Ann Bollin refused to hold a hearing on it today. She also refused to hold a hearing on the Rescue Michigan election integrity bills. In fact, the committee didn't hold a hearing on anything of substance in this final week before their two-month summer vacation. Instead, her committee voted to pass five worthless bills it had taken testimony on previously, and promptly adjourned. The entire hearing was less than ten minutes. For the Senate's part, it's notable that the bill on voter ID (technically three, but one in essence) was only bill of any significance to even pass the Elections Committee in the Senate. Despite overwhelming eyewitness and video evidence of the wholesale criminal impeding of poll challengers, the bills on the rights of poll challengers (SB 309 and HB 4963) still sit in committee with no vote. Months after a court determined that Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson broke the law by effectively waiving all signature checks for absentee ballots, bills to require an objective and consistent signature verification standard (SB 308 and HB 4963) still sit in committee with no vote. Months ago, Tennessee passed a law requiring ballots be watermarked with almost-unanimous bipartisan support (even Democrats were too embarrassed to oppose it). Our bill requiring the same hasn't had a hearing. Bills to prevent corrupt clerks from hiring poll workers exclusively from one political party (HB 4962 and SB 294) sit in committee untouched. We have been extraordinarily patient with our lawmakers, preferring diplomacy and strong policy arguments to pressure and threats. But today's refusal by the House Elections Committee to take up any bill of substance before the extended break has sent a clear message: Republicans in Lansing aren't just taking their time. They are hostile to any meaningful election reform. Consider one of the bills voted out of committee today: House Bill 4837. On the surface, the bill appears to prevent private political organizations getting a direct line to the Secretary of State to register voters by app, the way the left-wing group "Rock the Vote" did last year. But when the bill was brought before the committee, the sponsor, Rep. Sarah Lightner of Jackson County, plainly testified that it did no such thing. She claimed it would simply "clear up confusion" among local clerks who were puzzled why so many new voters were recorded in the system as being registered via "RTV." The bill wouldn't actually do anything. As Rescue Michigan explained in our testimony, for a technical reason the bill would actually fail to prevent the very same arrangement Rock the Vote had from having that same arrangement again next year. Imagine our surprise when moments before we offered verbal testimony, Rep. Lightner admitted she knew it. The committee also voted to move forward House Bill 4840, to extend the period for required election document retention to 22 months after the election. A good policy, but when you realize that federal law already requires this for all major elections, you realize this bill would have no practical impact. These are the only kind of "election integrity" bills the House is advancing: bills that don't do anything. At a moment like this, shortly before the legislature adjourns for two months of campaigning and vacation (while lawmakers still collect full-time pay), it's worth remembering who the Republicans in the legislature have chosen to slap in the face and laugh at. Certainly, it's the grassroots like you and me. People who worked their tails off to help re-elect President Trump, and to help many down-ballot candidates as well. How much time, how much money did you spend trying to get them elected, even if only to ward off the radical Democrats? For some, it was much more than that. I think of Jessy Jacob, the brave whistleblower who testified before the House at risk of attack by the national and international mass media, not to mention the risk of losing her job or even being harmed by the violent left. She spoke out about the illegal signature check policy being carried out by the City of Detroit, as directed statewide by Jocelyn Benson, because the truth mattered. The bills to require uniform signature checks still sit in committee, untouched. I think of Shane Trejo, the journalist whose employer received legal threats and false accusations from Attorney General Dana Nessel for reporting on the DetroitLeaks recording of Detroit election officials training their poll workers to abuse social distancing guidelines to criminally impede poll challengers (as directed by Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson). Shane spent countless hours at TCF Center and got original footage of the infamous 3 am "ballot drop" truck. He was able to get the footage despite poll challengers being criminally impeded from performing their duties. The bills to protect the rights of poll challengers still sit in committee, untouched. I think of the Republican canvassers in Wayne County that faced such severe threats that they certified the election despite overwhelming evidence of misconduct, were berated by the national media, and were sneeringly told that they had no means to rescind certification made under extreme duress. House Bill 4966, to protect their rights, still has no hearing. How many people worked dozens of hours at TCF, and dozens more preparing affidavits and sworn testimony? How many lawyers put their careers and reputation on the line, working for free? What's it all for? For the Republicans? They are the ones that most stand to benefit from clean elections! Yet we are the ones who sacrifice our precious time, talent, and treasure to help put them in office. And they can't even get serious about something that's not only fundamental to a functioning constitutional republic, but to their own political self-preservation? Because of what? Are they afraid of the radical left and the mass media? Afraid of being accused of racism? No amount of placating and pandering to the establishment will prevent that from happening. Democrats have no moral compunction about accusing Republicans of racism and "disenfranchising voters" for any reason, real or imagined. Republicans can't seem to understand that election fraud disenfranchises every single lawful ballot, lawfully cast. On any bill of real substance, they can't even be bothered to hold a hearing – even when, as was proven today, the committee had nothing else to do. It's baffling, but it's clear that a change in tactics on our part will be necessary. As the late Senator Everett Dirksen was fond of saying: "When I feel the heat, I see the light." Join us on YouTube this Saturday night at 9 pm, at this link. It's time to have a serious discussion among grassroots leaders in Michigan on what we can do to Rescue Michigan. Not just from the radical left, but from our own representatives' failings. It's going to be a great discussion. We hope you will join us. This Saturday, online, 9pm. Thanks for all that you do for Liberty, Adam de Angeli President Rescue Michigan Coalition P.S. The Rescue Michigan Coalition is spearheading election reform in Michigan, and built the most powerful grassroots leadership tools available anywhere to empower every Michigan citizen to fight for liberty. We can only do it with your support. Please support the Rescue Michigan Coalition at this link. |
If everyone knew all there is to know, they would not do half the things they do, including myself, therefore I must foregive them, including myself.
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