Suppression Efforts by Stand Up Michigan On Election Day

Maybe you know about Stand Up Michigan and the suppressive petitions they are circulating. Maybe the petitioning activity at a Sterling Heights school polling place this past Tuesday, where they were aggressive and organized, was something of an anomaly; I’ve heard that from resistance organizers. This write-up is not to argue the point. I hope it was an anomaly.

Sterling Heights is known Republican, so they would be inclined to support the petitions. Plus, it was election day, so the petitioners had a bit of a rare captive audience and tried to take advantage. And one of the petitioners is a known paid “professional” circulator. I was there resisting the petitions until the close of polls, and there is something to learn from it. I request you not be dismissive or quick to discount the activity that we saw in Sterling Heights on Tuesday.

Stand Up Michigan is a known right-wing organization. They are in a six-month window trying to get some 350K signatures on two suppressive petitions. One voter-signer asked “is this a Stand Up Michigan thing” and then yes and when I tried to add on, “don’t even talk to me”. In one discussion the petitions were advertised by the circulator as Stand Up Michigan.

Quick Background

These are statutory petitions, meaning that if they get the signatures, it goes to a simple vote in the Republican-controlled legislature. If the legislature votes it in, as they most assuredly would, they would be law with no veto option from the Governor. On a couple of the occasions, I mentioned the veto issue, and the voter response was “exactly” and they quickly signed.

“Officially”, these petitions are called SECURE MI VOTE and UNLOCK MICHIGAN, right-wing efforts to suppress voting and Governor Whitmer’s shutdowns, respectively. During solicitation of signatures, these labels are not used; and no one being approached has heard of them. The petitioners’ approach/interaction is simple and direct, as I witnessed it. On the voter petition they lead with “do you want to sign a petition requiring IDs to vote?”; which devolves into agreement that fraud must be stopped. On the unlock Michigan topic, they lead with “do you want to stop the governor’s suppressive mandates?”, which devolves into shared recognition that freedoms have been taken.

Contrast Between Two Sterling Heights Polling Places

I am a bit trained as a voter contact person, to engage people and dissuade them from signing the petitions. I spent time at two different Sterling Heights elementary schools: Graebner and Havel. They appeared to be awesome award-winning schools and it is a beautiful affluent neighborhood setting.

I didn’t see a person of color all day. Both sights characterized turnout as light. Most of the day, people were walking through single-threaded, with an occasional burst of a few. No lines.

The first school voting place had no petition promoters. The candidates (or their assistants) who were present were appreciative and open minded, suggesting themselves to be Democrats. Friendly welcome conversation, sort of preaching to the choir. But it troubled me that none of them had heard of Secure MI Vote and one remembered maybe signing something about voting. Democratic candidates.

I spent more time at the second school voting place. Petition promoters were present at this sight – the “hired gunman” for a while and from 5PM on the woman. As they changed over, the man said he got about 150 signatures. The woman that took over obviously got at least that many. In all cases (I mostly worked against her), she was getting signatures on both the voter restriction and anti-masking petitions.

It Seemed Maybe Police Lean for the Petitioning

At least this seemed so in Sterling Heights. I was paired for a while with a resistor woman who was at the second school before I arrived, giving voice to the anti-petition effort. Generally, we were in defensive position and at a messaging disadvantage. This brave woman resistor was in no way aggressive or loud. Yet before I got there, she had already had the police called on her. A woman council candidate had apparently called the police earlier and made it clear she was a Republican and that resistance wasn’t appreciated. The resistor’s personal information was taken and she was warned they better not get another call.

People in line don’t want to hear a long logical explanation when they are already pressed and want to get in and out. Besides, they have heard of the fraudulent voting and are expecting changes – to the point of knowing this sign-up opportunity was going to be available to them; one mentioned hearing about it on FaceBook. Others were hungry for it and just jumped in, anxious to stop the perceived fraud and assaults on their freedom. When I tried to intervene with facts and asked them to think, they ramped up with emotion.

Later in the evening, a lady representing the school site came out and asked if things were being kept quiet and calm. For a period, it went from one to two squad cars.

Stand Up Michigan – Politico Mindset

During lulls at the second school, I had snatches of conversation with five or six on-site candidates (or their assistants), who were signaling themselves to be Republicans. They were tuned in to who was supporting and who was resisting the petitions; it was reflected in their body language and words, down to winks and nods. Openly thanking the petitioners.

As heard during discussion with one of the Republican Council candidates: “The country is out of control and insecure, so anything that helps security is good, like this voting security” (referring to the petition). “Provisional ballots open the possibility of fraud”. I mentioned strong voter ID provisions in place and no evidence of fraud and he went on: “Even the possibility of fraud means it needs to be stricter. And I hear things”. He angered when I asked for specifics and was quick to say “it’s not here in my precinct of course, but it’s out there. Clerks are not catching it. Why are people being allowed to vote without an ID?”

About the Circulators

The hired-gun solicitor from Texas, when I called him out as paid and from out of state, said “yes, I’m well paid because there are a lot of people against voter fraud”.  He was not as persistent or polished or effective as the woman who took his place, who claimed she was from Michigan and not paid. This petitioner was quick to lead with the lie about it going onto the ballot, and would get louder more forceful if I countered with the legislature situation; he said that is just another vote. He was telling folks they will get half a million signatures.

The woman petitioner was adept at hopping from voter restriction to anti-masking, depending on the situation and which one got a spark. She used the anti-masking issue like a “loss-leader” in a marketing sense, most dependable in getting someone to identify and then on to sign both. This dark-haired woman was good enough that she never needed to use the lie about it going to the ballot.

This petitioner and I challenged each other when voters weren’t around. She kept coming back to anger that her children had to wear masks in school; that’s why she was here and the issue she used most adeptly. She said truth about deaths and bad reactions to vaccines is suppressed. On the fraud/ID issues, the petitioner was less personally invested, but again went to the truth issue, saying the big networks have suppressed the Cyber Ninja results. The only overt impropriety I saw from her (beyond misrepresentation), was allowing someone to take a sign-up sheet to a car while she scrambled to start a new one. I called her on this and both she and the signer were uncertain.

Things Observed and Heard in the School Parking Lot

My words paraphrased in italics.

• You are wearing a mask good, so why sign against mask mandates? It’s my choice; I can’t control anyone else and you cannot should not either. Someone else chimed in, and they are joke masks anyway – they don’t do anything.
• This will make it more difficult for some to vote. How can you be against voter fraud? Foreigners are voting as soon as they get here. (They would not entertain that this is not happening, but had no concrete examples).
• Didn’t you just provide an ID to vote, and didn’t you have to provide an ID to register? Yes, so what. They will still let you vote provisional, and that is not secure. You should have to show an ID to vote, on the spot.
• This hurts people who forget their ID. Are you telling me old or Black are all stupid? (A couple of times this came down to contention that provisional should not exist).
• We have a great secure voting system already. But it’s not working. We can’t keep cutting corners on voting.
• That will restrict absentee ballots and people need absentee ballots; they are necessary necessary and well-managed. Yes, but not everybody, and especially not unsolicited. (In one conversation with two voters and the petitioner, the two voters and the petitioner all said they had received absentee votes at their address for people who did not live there).
• We must stop sending out unsolicited absentee ballots; who knows how they are protected and being used?

Beware Stand Up Michigan: The Big Lie Alive

Maybe this Sterling Heights experience was all to be expected; no problem. I trained only the day before and I’m not perfect ever. Still, thank you for considering.

It shook me up to be surrounded by seemingly normal people, including articulate and professional, who steadfast believe in (and are informed about and passionate around) a propaganda-based campaign. Others were hostile and sneered at anyone daring them to ask them to think twice. In the end, the strength and persistence of this throng cannot be reconciled as anything but primal racism and autocracy – a condition to which many (if not most) are oblivious. It’s that alternate reality thing again – except I was looking in their blank eyes. Deep in Fantasyland. With cops at their beck and call.

We fret over this while not knowing the specific provision that would be law if they get the signatures. And why does the Michigan Constitution allow such statutory petitions; why would anyone even both with the established front-door legislative process? Maybe it’s just me.

At closing time with no voters around, I stood in the semi-dark edge of the parking lot with a squad car idling close by. I walked over toward the petition promoter, and the squad moved along similarly. She had beaten me all night. “Good night nice to meet you good night”.

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