Michigan State Representative Kara Hope (D) has written two bills, HB 4129–4130, which criminalize “intimidating” an election official.
Michigan State Rep. Kara Hope (D), sponsor of the bills
America First patriots who have fought for election integrity for years are concerned that these bills are just a thinly-veiled effort to put them in prison for challenging fraudulent ballots in the 2024 election cycle. This would match the ongoing effort by leftists to prosecute, harass, persecute, Donald Trump to keep him off the ballot in 2024.
The proposed Michigan bill reads, in relevant part:
Sec. 931b. (1) An individual shall not intimidate an election official.
(2) An individual shall not prevent an election official from performing the election official’s duties.
(3) An individual who violates subsection (1) or (2) is guilty of a felony.
(4) As used in this section:
(a) “Election official” means a public officer or public employee who has a duty to perform in connection with an election conducted under this act.
(b) “Intimidate” means to commit harassing conduct that would cause a reasonable individual to feel terrorized, frightened, threatened, harassed, or molested and that actually causes the individual to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or molested.
These bills were heard in the Elections Committee of the Michigan House, where Trump-endorsed Rep. Rachelle Smit serves as the Vice Chair of the Committee.
During committee hearings, Rep. Smit offered an amendment to define a poll watcher and ballot challenger as a covered “election official” to make sure this proposed law wasn’t used against Republican poll workers and challengers.
The amendment was quickly voted down.
Donald Trump and Rep. Rachelle Smit (R)
“They rejected it out of hand,” said Rep. Rachelle Smit. “It was very clear from their reaction not only do they not want to protect Republican poll watchers and challengers, but they intend to use these laws against them. Every time someone witnesses voter fraud and raises their voice to get noticed, the left-wing operatives are going to call the cops on them. This bill is going to criminalize challenging voter fraud.”
Election integrity patriots are similarly concerned: Bob Cushman is a regular Republican poll challenger in Michigan. “What we’re seeing here is Democrats taking their malfeasance and make it look like we’re the bad guys, that the people questioning Democrats are the ones intimidating and breaking laws. It’s really just the other way around. Democrats try to outlaw the things they’re doing, and they’re trying to intimidate people from challenging fraudulent ballots. I’ve been intimidated by Democrat election officials in both the primary and general elections in 2020, 2021, and 2022.”
Bob Cushman, election integrity patriot
Bob Cushman was one of the interviews for the Gateway Pundit’s 2020 interviews of Michigan witnesses to voter fraud.
Cushman added, “If you do your job and challenge fraudulent ballots, Democrat election officials always claim you’re intimidating them. Democrats then use their false perceptions as an excuse to throw you out of any counting location.”
Other Republican poll watchers reported the same treatment as Cushman described, including Elizabeth Forlini, Articia Bomer, and Andrew Sitto.
Democrat Election Workers have also lied about being “intimidated” by Republicans. Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey told the Michigan Legislature and media outlets that she was “threatened” after the 2020 election by someone in her neighborhood threatening her dogs. And Janice Winfrey is a liar. Winfrey was approached by a reporter from the Gateway Pundit and asked a few questions, and then Winfrey is the one who threatened the reporter.
Winfrey told the reporter, “I dare you to stay right there” on video. And then to the media and the legislature this lying public official lied and said that she was the victim.
On election night 2020, as Kristina Karamo told the Gateway Pundit, all of the hostility and intimidation was done by Democrats against Republicans. “They were like a pack of dogs,” Karamo said.
Democrats can lie like this about being “intimidated” but when this bill goes through, no doubt it will be whomever they dislike who will get prosecuted based on similar hoaxes.
Sandy Kiesel heads up the “Election Integrity Force“, a non-partisan organization of primarily volunteers dedicated to clean elections. Kiesel told the Gateway Pundit, “Poll challengers play a critical role in the voting system by helping ensure the laws and processes are followed. Many election workers only do the job a few days a year and often are doing it for the first time. The second set of eyes of poll challengers critical to safeguarding the voting and counting processes. While all poll workers should feel safe doing their jobs, this bill will put fear into those acting as poll challengers, prevent people from volunteering, and thwart them from speaking up when they see an issue.”
Sandy Kiesel, of the Election Integrity Force
Kiesel added, “In 2022, I was accused of intimidation because I merely leaned in momentarily to be close enough to see. If this law had existed would I have been arrested and charged with a felony?”
The two bills are currently on “second reading” within the Michigan House, meaning that they must be voted on two more times before passage, before being sent to the Michigan Senate for approval, and then sent to the Governor. As Democrats control all three, House, Senate, and the Governor, this action is considered likely. So far, the bill has passed along straight party-line votes.
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