Count the votes! Stop the count!

By Mark | November 5, 2020

Supporters of Donald Trump, with his encouragement, have been protesting across the nation since the election. In some states, like Michigan, they’ve been demanding that the counting of votes be stopped. And, in others, like Arizona, they’ve been demanding that the counting of votes be continued. I don’t want to get into how stupid it is that Trump and his people are arguing one thing in states where he’s ahead, and the exact opposite in states where he’s behind. I think it’s probably obvious to most of you what’s going on. I just wanted to note it, though, as I think it speaks to the insanity of what we’re being confronted with at the moment, as America’s least informed citizens, having been fed a constant diet of lies by Fox News for decades, have now been unleashed upon our democratic institutions by a man who has nothing left to lose, and no concern at all for the long term damage being done.

The folks who descended on the TCF Center here in Detroit yesterday to bang on windows and demand that lawfully cast ballots not be counted were apparently called to action by way of a new Facebook group disseminating conspiracy theories about how Joe Biden was attempting to steal the election. Here’s an example of the kind of content this group has been sharing online. This post, made by Fox News personality Lou Dobbs, contends that boxes of fake, pro-Biden ballots have been delivered to Detroit’s TCF Center to be counted. [It’s worth pointing out that the President’s son Eric shared the same post. It’s also worth noting that Dobbs isn’t the only Fox News personality pushing out conspiracy theories for Trump. Maria Bartiromo is dong it too.]

This, of course, was bullshit. As WXYZ’s Ross Jones was quick to point out, the “ballot thief” seen in the above image was his photographer, who was loading camera equipment into the building so that they could cover the ballot counting. Here’s WXYZ telling the story last night.

According to CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, the social media disinformation campaigns are coming fast and furious now. The group pro-Trump Facebook group “Stop The Steal,” he says is “gaining about 1,000 new members EVERY 10 SECONDS.” So this is likely only going to get worse. Thankfully, it looks like Biden’s lead here in Michigan is large enough that we can avoid the worst of it, as the attention of those looking to steal the election on Trump’s behalf has been turned to other states, where it may be easier for them to obfuscate the truth and sell a narrative of election fraud. The good news is, the Republicans, for the most part, don’t seem to be pitching in to help Trump in his attempt to hijack the election. As Matthew Gertz just pointed out, “Trump needing to trot out the Sekulow/Giuliani/Bondi team for the election lawsuits kinda suggests that the GOP legal establishment extracted everything it wanted from Trump and is now leaving him for dead.” Let’s hope that’s the case, and that we’re spared the civil war by those self-serving Republicans who would rather just focus on keeping their positions of power and holding onto the Senate. It should also be noted that, so far, at least as far as I can tell, no states have stopped counting their ballots in order to appease Donald Trump. As Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf just said, “Pennsylvania is going to count every vote and no amount of intimidation will stop our dedicated election officials in our municipalities… The planned attacks on our elections this morning are undemocratic and all elected officials must denounce them.”

update: Trump has put out an official statement, again claiming to have won, despite the popular vote.

update: In Nevada, former Trump Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell and right wing operative Matt Schlapp claim to have evidence of illegal ballots having been cast for Biden. They they refuse to share what that evidence is, when asked by reporters.

update: It seems likely, as of right now, that Biden will win Nevada, and maybe even Georgia. Here’s the latest.

Posted in Detroit, Michigan, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 65 Comments

As Biden seems poised to win, a desperate and pathetic Trump claims victory

By Mark | November 4, 2020

[The above electoral map from the New York Times shows where we are as of 9:30 AM this morning, with ballots still being counted across the United States.]

As expected, Donald Trump claimed victory early this morning, before all of the votes were counted, saying that he would call upon the Supreme Court to stop millions of legally cast ballots from being counted. Appearing in the East Room of the White House at approximately 3:00 AM, Donald Trump said, “Frankly we did win. So we’ll be going to the U.S. Supreme Court. We want all voting to stop. As far as I’m concerned, we already did win.” And, I should add, Trump said this after Fox News had called the historically Republican state of Arizona for Biden, signaling that things were trending well for the former Vice President. As Chris Wallace said on Fox after Trump made his statement about having won, “This is an extremely flammable situation and the president just threw a match into it.”

The truth is, we don’t yet know who won, but things are looking positive for Biden at the moment, as ballots across the United States continue to be counted. As of this moment, Biden is leading in Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada, and, if his lead in these states holds, he will have the 270 electoral votes he needs to claim victory, even if Pennsylvania and Georgia go to Trump. And there’s still a good chance that Biden could win in those states as well.

As for the Senate, things are still up in the air, as we’re waiting to hear how things go in a number of states, including Michigan, where Democratic Senator Gary Peters is presently trailing his Republican challenger. If things play out the way people think that they will, the best case scenario for Democrats is a split Senate, with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, in which Kamala Harris would be in the position to cast tie-breaking votes as the Vice President. This, however, would require not only that Peters win, but that Warnock win his run-off in Georgia… In order to have gained control of the Senate outright, the Democrats would have needed to pick up four seats, and, with Doug Jones losing in Alabama, that became even more of an uphill battle. Still, though, the Democrats appear to be picking up seats in Arizona, Colorado and Georgia. [There were two Georgia Senate races this election cycle.] And it’s conceivable that North Carolina, Maine and Iowa could still be in play.

One last thing. Just keep in mind, when you hear Donald Trump complaining about the counting of mail-in ballots, that we have Republican legislatures to thank. The following is from USA Today’s Kirsten Powers.

So, no, there are no “surprise ballot dumps (being) counted” as Donald Trump just claimed. The ballots being counted are ballots that were lawfully cast, and are now being counted in accordance with rules established by Republican legislatures. There is nothing “magical” about what it happening. Absentee ballots were cast, and now they are being counted.

update: Here’s the Detroit Free Press weighing in on Trump’s claim that Michigan flipped for Biden because of a massive “ballot dump.” That’s not true, they report.

update: Jonathan Oosting is reporting that the Trump campaign is seeking to stop the count in Michigan. The Trump campaign, he says, has put out the following statement: “We have filed suit today in the Michigan Court of Claims to halt counting until meaningful access has been granted.”

update: Another response to Trump’s assertion that “Michigan has now found the ballots” to change the course of the election.

Posted in Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 117 Comments

2020 Election Open Thread

By Mark | November 3, 2020

I don’t know how much I’ll be able to update this throughout the day, but I thought that I’d start up a thread, just so that we’d have somewhere to discuss voting, the results of the election, etc. Best of luck, everyone. Here’s hoping that all of our hard work pays off today, and we decisively bring this dark chapter of American history once and for all today.

If you aren’t registered to vote, it’s still not too late. If you’re here in Michigan, and you’ve yet to register to vote, it’s not too late. You can still cast your ballot. All you have to do is visit your township of city clerk’s office before 8:00 PM this evening. Before you go, though, check here to make sure you aren’t already registered. [If you are already registered, you just need to fid your polling place, grab your ID, and go there to vote.] If you do want to resister and vote today, here’s a list of what you’ll need to take with you.

If you have any other Michigan voting related questions, check our the Michigan Department of State’s Voter Information Center.

Know your rights. Before heading out to vote today, check out the Michigan ACLU’s Voting Guide, which contains, among other things, the following advice as to what you should do if you have any problems casting your ballot.

What if I have a problem voting, or someone is trying to intimidate or harass me?

Tell a poll worker immediately. If the poll worker is the problem, or they don’t address the problem, call your local city/township clerk. If the city/township clerk doesn’t address the problem, call one of the nonpartisan Election Protection hotlines… [See numbers below.]

What if someone challenges my right to vote?

Step 1: Ask to be sworn in by the poll worker,
Step 2: Answer whatever questions are necessary to establish your eligibility to vote, and,
Step 3: Vote.

What if I make a mistake on my ballot or the voting machine malfunctions?

If you make a mistake, ask for a new ballot right away. You have the right to a new ballot if you
catch the mistake before your ballot is inserted into the tabulator machine and counted. If the scanner rejects your ballot, ask for a new one. You have the right to start over. If the tabulator machine isn’t working, you can place your completed ballot into a bin in the tabulator machine. The poll workers will insert your ballot into the tabulator once the machine is working again.

Now here are those numbers, in case you need to call anyone for assistance. [You can also email “questions@michiganvoting.org” for help.]

Desecration of Jewish graves in Michigan. The Washington Post is reporting that “Trump” and “MAGA” were spray-painted on gravestones at a Jewish cemetery in Grand Rapids yesterday, not far from where the President held his rally. [In Grand Rapids last night, Trump, by the way, once again repeated the claim that Joe Biden, a devout Catholic, is “against God.”] The following image is from the Michigan ADL.

The folks on Fox News are saying that the Trump should “have a say in whether he wins or not.” Pushing back against Democrats, who are arguing that every mailed vote should be counted in accordance with U.S. law before a winner is named in today’s election, the folks at Fox News this morning agued that Donald Trump should have a say in whether or not he’s declared the winner.

The results are in. I know is a pretty small sample size, but Joe Biden just took all five of the votes cast for president in the very small township of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, one of the first places in the country to announce its votes. You should still go out and vote, though. This isn’t quite over yet.

Never give up hope. God, I really needed this video right now. I’ve watched a lot of videos this election cycle, but this one really got to me. We tend to focus on the evil in the world, as it’s so apparent these days, but there is still so much good here in the United States. This is a great reminder of what’s at stake, and positive future that can be ours if we just work together. This is the vision of America that I want for my children.

The Election Day election interference has begun. It’s being reported by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel that Flint residents are receiving robocalls telling them to vote tomorrow.

It’s also being reported by NBC that the Pennsylvania Secretary of State has reached out to the FBI to let them know that members of the Trump campaign have asked about the security plans for ballots submitted in three specific counties. [Who wants to be that they counties in question are Democratic strongholds?]

People are actually registering today and voting in Michigan. As of 2:30 today, 12,530 new voters had registered to vote in the state according to Jake Rollow, a spokesperson for the Michigan Secretary of State spokesman. This is a good thing, and speaks to the importance of our new same-day-registration law.

It’s way closer that it should be, and that doesn’t bode well for the future of our nation. It’s almost 11:00 PM, and things appear to be very close.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 220 Comments

This is it, Michigan. Vote as if your life depends on it… Because it does.

By Mark | November 1, 2020

In the 2016 presidential election, 63% of eligible voters in Michigan cast their ballots. The total number of voters that year was 4,874,619. And, as we know, Donald Trump won the state with the slimmest of margins. Just 10,704 votes — a mere 0.23% of the votes cast — decided which candidate we’d give our electoral votes to, and we went down in history, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, as one of the three states that handed Donald Trump the presidency. [Trump took our three states with a razor thin margin of just 79,646 votes.]

So you know how important it is that you vote this year, right? And, if you read this site regularly, you know what’s at stake. So let’s focus on voting, and what we can all do to help increase Democratic turnout for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Because it’s up to us — the American people — right now. As the Washington Post printed in their editorial today, “We kept counting on others to save us — our institutions, our political leaders, our courts — but help never arrived… Now all we have left is the people. The voters, for all their failings, may prove more trustworthy than their supposed guardians.”

OK, so here are the facts as we know them today. As of this past Tuesday, more than 3.1 million Michigan voters had requested absentee ballots, but only about 2.1 million had returned them. And, as of yesterday, according to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, that number had risen to 2.8 million. And, if my conversations with voters yesterday, as I went door-to-door talking with people, are any indication, that number is going to be significantly higher today. [A lot of people told me yesterday that they’d just dropped off their ballots.]

So, this brings us to the first important point of this post. If you requested an absentee ballot, but haven’t returned it yet, do not do so by mail. Instead, either put it in an official ballot drop box, or take it to the office of your city or township clerk. This is incredibly important. Members of the Trump administration have signaled that they will attempt to claim victory on election night, if they are ahead, before all of the mailed absentee ballots are counted. So, if you still have a ballot, don’t return it by mail. If you want to be absolutely sure that your vote counts, take it to drop box, or your clerk’s office.

If you’re in Michigan, you can find your closest official ballot drop box, by searching here. Here, however, are the addresses for the three that are here in Ypsilanti. All of them are accessible 24 hours a day up until Election Day. [It’s not clear to me when these boxes will be collected. I suspect, however, you should be able to use them through the end of the day on Monday. After that, you’ll have to go to your clerk’s office.]

– 1 South Huron (behind Ypsilanti City Hall)

– 900 Oakwood (outside the EUM Student Center)

– 591 Armstrong (outside the Parkridge Community Center)

If you want to drop off your absentee ballot on Election Day in Michigan, it will have to go to the office of your city or township clerk. You can find the address of your clark’s office here, but here’s the information for our clerk here in the City of Ypsilanti.

City Clerk: Andrew Hellenga
Address: One South Huron Street
Phone: (734) 483-1100
Email: ahellenga@cityofypsilanti.com

I believe, from what I’ve read, that clerks’ offices will be open to accept ballots until 8:00 PM on Election Day. As Hellenga’s office usually closes at 5:00 PM on Tuesdays, though, I’d contact him ahead of time to confirm, if you’re planning to drop your ballot between 5:00 and 8:00. [Detroit Free Press: “The Michigan Court of Appeals recently ruled that voters must return absentee ballots to their clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order for their vote to count.”]

The thing is, we’re likely to get fucked on absentee ballots. As I noted earlier, we have every reason to believe that, if Trump appears to be up on election night, he’ll declare victory, and not allow mailed ballots to be counted. [It seems to be the consensus that mailed ballots will be disproportionately anti-Trump.] And, as we know, the administration has used its political appointees to disassemble the U.S. Postal Service from the inside in hopes of limiting the impact of mailed ballots. A U.S. District Court judge just recently ordered that the Postal Service speed up ballot delivery in Detroit, but we have no idea what that will mean in practice, and just how long it might take ballots put in the mail in Detroit tomorrow to be delivered and counted. [You can be sure that Trump will do everything in his power to ensure that mailed Detroit ballots aren’t counted.]

One more thing, if you are planning to vote in person on Tuesday, have a plan. Find your polling place online, know your rights, and write down your plan. Know exactly where you need to be, and have everything you need, in case there’s a wait. Have you ID, a mask, an umbrella, food, water, etc. Get it ready now, and put it by the door. And don’t let anything stop you from going out. Oh, and don’t worry if you asked for an absentee ballot and didn’t send it back in. You can still show up at your polling place on Tuesday and vote in person.

One last thing… It’s not too late to register, if you’ve yet to do so. Don’t sit this election out. I get that you may have been too busy, or too depressed, to get out and register, but you owe it to your kids, your parents, your ancestors, and our future generation to get out and do it. According to Michigan law, you can still register to vote up until 8:00 PM on November 3. So there’s no excuse not to get down to your clerk’s office on Monday or Tuesday and get registered. If we’re going to defeat Trumpism, and save our nation, this is our last chance, and we’re going to need every single person to step up and make a stand. Oh, and, according to what I’ve found online, you can vote right at the clerk’s office if you register on Election Day.

For what it’s worth, it would appear that Michiganders are siding with Biden, and his vision for America. According to a recent poll by Siena College and the New York Times, Biden is leading in Michigan by 8 points. And, according to the most recent Emerson College poll Biden’s up by 7 points. Again, it won’t mean anything if ballots aren’t counted, or if Democratic voters are driven away from their polling places by armed Trump supporters looking to intimidate Biden voters, but, in a fair and honest election, it looks as though Biden would win Michigan easily. Sadly, though, that’s not the situation we now find ourselves in. Trump, to be sure, will fight to stay in power, and avoid facing responsibility for his actions. And there’s no reason to believe that concern for the future of nation will keep him from engaging in rhetoric that brings us to civil war. The only way we can stop it is to vote in overwhelming numbers, and make it clear to him and his Republican enablers, that there’s no way to lie and cheat their way into another term. So, with that, I have one last suggestion. Call everyone you know, and urge them to vote on Tuesday, especially if they live in swing states like Texas, Florida and Ohio. If you can get just one person to the polls who might not have gone otherwise, it could make a tremendous difference.

Posted in Michigan, Politics, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

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