Staff Reports
Michigan might just have gift-wrapped a present for liberal county prosecutors by jamming through Senate Bills 603 and 604, legislation that would yank ballot recount authority from the Board of State Canvassers and hand it to partisan county prosecutors. Passed in October and making its way through the legislative circus before receiving its final nod on Tuesday, this legislation has Republicans’ alarm bells ringing.
Republican state Senator Jim Runestad is sounding the siren on this catastrophic shift. He didn’t mince words as he laid out the threats posed by giving partisan county prosecutors control over recount procedures. According to Runestad, the current law is clear as day; if there’s a whiff of fraud, it goes to the apolitical Board of Canvassers. This board isn’t just for show—they can actually investigate fraud and wield the power of subpoenas.
State Senator Blasts Bill Stripping Power to Investigate Elections from Board of Canvassers https://t.co/GTDburp5zy
— cinarte56 (@cinarte561) June 21, 2024
Now, the left wants to throw a wrench in the works by replacing the board with county prosecutors, who might as well be card-carrying members of the Democratic National Committee. Runestad pointed out that the attorney general, hardly a neutral figure in Michigan’s blue-leaning political landscape, would get the keys to the recount kingdom. And guess what happens when Republicans claim fraud? A thorough investigation is about as likely as a snowstorm in July.
Runestad highlighted the irony regarding the underutilized Board of Canvassers’ powers. In the 2016 election, especially in Detroit where over 70% of precincts were too messed up to recount, the Board of Canvassers played a significant role. Despite giving more time and resources, the situation only worsened by 2020. He slammed the notion that the board’s authority was dormant, saying that it was not only used but essential.
Facing this legislative overhaul, Runestad expressed a fear of partisan retribution. Members of the county boards who dared to look into electoral issues received a torrent of death threats. One particularly horrifying example involved a member of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers, whose family was doxed and threatened with violence if the electoral outcome didn’t go in a certain direction. If this legislation stands, more good-intentioned public servants might find their lives turned into nightmares.
So, in the Democrats’ grand plan to ‘secure’ elections, they’re essentially burning down the house to fix a leaky faucet. Removing the Board of Canvassers’ bipartisan oversight and handing it to liberal prosecutors is just asking for trouble. Republicans may have lost this battle, but Runestad’s fiery response leaves conservatives hoping that the war to protect election integrity is far from over.
