Tag: election integrity

Governor Rick Snyder has cut a radio ad urging voters in Kalamazoo and Calhoun Counties to re-elect House Speaker Jase Bolger. The Marshall Republican is running for re-election against Democrat Bill Farmer. The Gongwer News Service (subscription required) reports that the ad was paid for by the House Republican Campaign Committee and authorized by Bolger's campaign. The ad is seen as another sign that Bolger is facing a tough re-election fight. Democrats have made an issue of his involvement in a plan to put a "straw candidate" on the ballot to help State Representative Roy Schmidt's re-election chances in his Grand Rapids district. Schmidt switched from the Democratic to Republican party right before the filing deadline.

House Speaker Jase Bolger personally appealed Monday to Ingham County Circuit Court judges to reject a request to empanel a one-judge grand jury to investigate a foiled election-rigging scheme in a Kent County legislative district.

Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer and state party chairman Mark Brewer petitioned the court last week to launch its own probe into Bolger and state Rep. Roy Schmidt's attempt earlier this year to plant a fake Democrat in the 76th District and allow Schmidt to become a Republican with a patsy opponent.

Kent County Prosecutor Bill Forsyth determined in July that no crime was committed after Schmidt's faux opponent, a 22-year-old friend of his son and nephew, dropped out of the race days after filing in May. But Democrats have called Forsyth's investigation into question after the Republican prosecutor acknowledged cancelling warrants to search Bolger's phone records and Schmidt's phone and email records.

A Michigan State Police detective said he had probable cause that Bolger and Schmidt may have caused subornation of perjury by knowingly procuring Matthew Mojzak to commit perjury by falsely claiming to be a 76th District resident for at least 30 days prior to the May 15 filing date.

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One such lesson that I remember well occurred when I walked into my mom's kitchen complaining that my brothers' and sister's bedrooms were absolute pig stys.  Because my mom was busy (canning vegetables if I remember correctly), my gran-ma - who was assisting - offered to take a look.  Sure enough, standing there in the upstairs hall, she was looking right through a pair of already-open doors into bedrooms for which the description of "disorganized" would have been charitable.  However, it also occurred to her to open the door to my bedroom and see what might be seen.  While my bedroom was noticeably tidier, it was nowhere close to her exacting standards.

This observation was followed by my grandmother fixing me with a no-nonsense look and saying rather sternly, "I should think, young man, that before you go complaining about someone else's room, you ought to first make sure yours is clean."  Point made; lesson learned; end of conversation.

And now, to apply that lesson, we should grab some coffee and duck below the fold.