Michigan Legislature re-hears debunked GOP claims of fraud at TCF Center Many participants maskless as Michigan lost 1,794 to Covid-19 in November
The Michigan Legislature’s Republican-led Election Oversight Committee heard testimony from GOP poll challengers Tuesday about debunked claims of supposed instances of voting irregularities and fraud at the TCF Center between November 3rd and November 5th. All testimony was taken in the person, with GOP legislators and most GOP challengers notably maskless. Lawmakers heard no testimony from Democratic poll challengers who requested in vain to be allowed to testify virtually.
“The claims that the GOP challengers repeated Tuesday, for 7 hours of legislative hearing time, have been heard, litigated, and discarded by three levels of Michigan courts. Those seven hours could have been spent allocating resources to save the lives and livelihoods of Covid-19 victims,” said Angana Shah, Policy Manager at Michigan United.
The same types of claims have also been ruled to have no merit in courts in Pennsylvania. One of their allegations was that a large number of voters appear to have been born in 1900, but this was explained as a placeholder for ballots that were valid but did not have a birthdate. Other allegations of suspicious ballot delivery, internet connectivity, and others have also been found by Judge Kenney of the Wayne County Circuit Court to be not credible. They even tried to allege that they were intimidated by hostile poll workers and challengers. But during a November 11th hearing, the Republican plaintiff’s lawyer admitted that it was GOP challengers, not the Democratic challengers, that were disruptive and intimidating when they chanted “Stop the Vote” and “Stop the Count” in unison in the TCF counting-room November 4th.
Meanwhile, Michiganders continue to get sick and die from Covid-19. Since the pandemic began, Republicans in Michigan’s legislature have worked hard to reverse public health protections put in place by Governor Whitmer but have offered no protective measures to replace them.
Among the 1,794 people in Michigan who died in November were Leslie and Patricia McWaters of Jackson, active great-grandparents at 75 and 78. They had been in quarantine but spent one day in a restaurant with unmasked patrons walking around them who they believe put them in the hospital with Covid-19. The couple died within minutes of each other on November 24th.
14-year-old Honestie Hodges joined the list of victims when she died at Helen Devos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids in mid-November. Honestie was the subject of press attention previously because as an 11-year old, she was handcuffed outside of her own house, leading to soul-searching in the Grand Rapids police department.
“Michigan citizens are demanding that their representatives focus on economic assistance and public health measures, and drop this last gasp of the ‘Reverse Trump’s Loss’ reality show,” said Shah.
