Democrats say Michigan House committee is a ‘circus' after platforming election deniers
After Detroit-area pastor Lorenzo Sewell, an advocate of President Donald Trump, testified this week in the newly renamed Michigan House Election Integrity Committee, Republican and Democratic members of the committee are at odds on their respective visions of fair elections.
While Republicans regarded the testimony of Sewell and Detroit-area activist Ramon Jackson, who alleged without proof mass fraud in recent presidential elections, as an important look at Michigan's election systems, Democrats decried the day as nothing more than a 'circus'.
Sewell, the pastor of 180 Church in Detroit, who delivered the benediction at Trump's second inaugural in January and gained national attention for his impassioned speech, was a key surrogate in 2024 for Trump's campaign to win over voters in Detroit, a historically Democratic voting block. And though support for Trump increased in Detroit in 2024 compared to his 2016 run, Sewell told lawmakers the people of Detroit are being misrepresented in elections due to 'cheating' and he and Jackson are looking to change that.
'Just like Detroit has moved the world through music with Motown, just like Detroit has moved the world through the automotive industry, so it is Detroit is about to move the world with fair elections, because if we don't have fair elections, we do not have a democracy. We don't have fair elections, we're like China. We have literally become what we hate if we don't have fair elections,' Sewell said.
Sewell introduced Jackson as the 'political minister' of 180 Church, which hosted Trump for a campaign visit in June. Jackson told lawmakers on the committee that he had evidence of individuals who say they didn't vote or have since left the city but their vote was counted in Detroit.
And the search for 'poison' in Michigan's Qualified Voter file isn't over, Jackson said, and members of the church will continue to seek out examples of fraud.
During the hearing, Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth) asked Jackson for details on the allegations he was making.
'You had mentioned that you knew that a lot of these alleged illegal votes were going to Democratic candidates saying they voted straight ticket Democratic Party,' Koleszar said. 'Sir, voting is secret ballot, so how could you possibly know that?'
'I know that based on who won. A cheated vote won't go to a loser,' replied Jackson.
Committee Chair Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-Martin) thanked the pair for testifying and for investigating the issue of reported fraud in Detroit.
'These reports and claims are very concerning, especially since we are repeatedly told that our elections are completely safe and secure,' Smit said in a statement after the committee hearing. 'If these claims are accurate, and the scale and scope are this bad, then Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel clearly aren't doing their jobs, and they're failing the people of Michigan.'
But it's Republican leadership that is failing the people of Michigan, Koleszar said in his own statement after the committee. Koleszar and other Democrats have condemned actions taken by the House's election committee, which has been given an 'integrity' focus, by new GOP leadership who have repeated Trump's disproven claims that he was cheated out of victory in the 2020 election.
'In the last few weeks, the House Elections Integrity Committee has devolved into a three-ring circus,' Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie said following Tuesday's hearing. 'Today, Chair Smit decided to ignore verified information from the qualified voter file and over 250 bipartisan audits to once again relitigate the 2020 presidential election. Her continued attempts to defile Michigan voters demonstrates a stunning and profound lack of seriousness.'
Currently, House Republicans are pursuing an amendment to the state constitution that would require proof of citizenship to vote in Michigan, which several Democrats have criticized as being akin to a poll tax while potentially keeping women who've changed their last name after getting married from being able to vote.
'It is disheartening to see the Republican leaders of the Election Integrity Committee continue to platform election deniers and prioritize their own political agenda over working on legislation that could make a real positive impact on Michiganders' lives,' Koleszar said in the statement. 'They are wasting taxpayer dollars by creating a circus of election disinformation, rather than governing responsibly. It's time to stop rehashing the past and stop misusing government time.'
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