{"id":2320381,"date":"2024-08-07T08:37:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-07T12:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mi-woman-threatened-with-prosecution-for-misleading-election-info\/"},"modified":"2024-08-07T08:39:15","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T12:39:15","slug":"mi-woman-threatened-with-prosecution-for-misleading-election-info","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mi-woman-threatened-with-prosecution-for-misleading-election-info\/","title":{"rendered":"MI Woman Threatened With Prosecution For &#8216;Misleading&#8217; Election Info"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmi-woman-threatened-with-prosecution-for-misleading-election-info%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2320381&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses a letter from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, which threatens a\u2062 local resident, Kerry Lynn Elieff, with prosecution for allegedly\u200d spreading &#8220;misleading or false&#8221; information regarding changes to polling locations. This\u200d letter is part of a broader trend\u2062 in which Michigan \u2064officials are responding to\u200d concerns about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-censors-babylon-bee-ceo-thinks-facebook-is-moving-beyond-news-to-suppress-wrong-kind-of-comedy\/\" title=\"Secret Censors: Babylon Bee CEO Thinks Facebook Is Moving Beyond News to Suppress Wrong Kind Of Comedy\">election-related misinformation<\/a> by encouraging locals to report such instances.<\/p>\n<p>Elieff posted\u200d about \u200cpolling changes that she claimed were inadequately communicated to the public. In her letter, Nessel ordered her to\u200c cease discussing the polling locations, warning that failure to comply could lead to criminal prosecution. The\u200b article raises \u200bconcerns about censorship \u2063and the chilling effect on civic engagement, \u2064suggesting that\u2062 such actions may stifle free speech \u2064in political discourse.<\/p>\n<p>The context includes Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson\u2019s initiative urging citizens to report election misinformation, which critics argue \u200dcould lead to a broader suppression of dissenting opinions. Advocates for election integrity express alarm \u2064that\u2064 this approach could intimidate residents from openly discussing election\u2062 issues.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=afT3SCp4b2U\">SHOWTIME\/YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/07\/letter-from-michigan-ag-threatens-resident-with-prosecution-for-misleading-election-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Letter%20From%20Michigan%20AG%20Threatens%20Resident%20With%20Prosecution%20For%20%E2%80%98Misleading%E2%80%99%20Election%20Information&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/07\/letter-from-michigan-ag-threatens-resident-with-prosecution-for-misleading-election-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Letter%20From%20Michigan%20AG%20Threatens%20Resident%20With%20Prosecution%20For%20%E2%80%98Misleading%E2%80%99%20Election%20Information&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/07\/letter-from-michigan-ag-threatens-resident-with-prosecution-for-misleading-election-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/07\/letter-from-michigan-ag-threatens-resident-with-prosecution-for-misleading-election-information\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Letter%20From%20Michigan%20AG%20Threatens%20Resident%20With%20Prosecution%20For%20%E2%80%98Misleading%E2%80%99%20Election%20Information&amp;body=The%20letter%20ordered%20Elieff%20to%20'cease%20and%20desist%20the%20use%20of%20online%20platforms%20to%20continue%20spreading%20false%20or%20misleading%20information.'%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/07\/letter-from-michigan-ag-threatens-resident-with-prosecution-for-misleading-election-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is threatening to prosecute a resident for &ldquo;spread[ing]&rdquo; what has been labeled as &ldquo;misleading or false&rdquo; election-related information, according to a &ldquo;cease and desist&rdquo; letter reported Tuesday. This comes just days after The Federalist revealed Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is urging residents to <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/02\/secretary-of-state-asks-michiganders-to-report-their-neighbors-for-election-misinformation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> their neighbors for so-called &ldquo;election misinformation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The letter&rsquo;s recipient, who had previously chosen to remain anonymous, revealed herself to The Federalist as Kerry Lynn Elieff, a resident of Ross Township near Kalamazoo. Elieff told The Federalist she had posted concerns on June 12 about a change in polling locations. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-28ec5e05e328898d7dc414f2c332fc25 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-28ec5e05e328898d7dc414f2c332fc25\"><\/div>\n<p>According to the letter dated July 24 and reviewed by The Federalist, Nessel&rsquo;s office threatened Elieff for making a post about polling locations, which Elieff said she was &ldquo;shocked&rdquo; to receive last week.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I was just thinking, &lsquo;They&rsquo;re going to prosecute me for this?&rsquo;&rdquo; Elieff said to The Federalist. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re probably hearing one side of the story.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;[Y]ou are hereby ordered to CEASE AND DESIST the use of online platforms to continue spreading false or misleading information regarding the Ross Township polling locations. Failure to comply with this notice may result in criminal prosecution,&rdquo; reads the letter, first <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MrJustinBarclay\/status\/1820909582128181317?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> Tuesday by Detroit radio host Justin Barclay and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themidwesterner.news\/2024\/08\/it-begins-dana-nessel-sends-cease-and-desist-threat-letter-over-election-misinformation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Midwesterner<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"W5IrpUNE76TRM1ToAwYdeQ2clvHS0AGhqg97gkJJsWcCCozLt8ymZiVxvz3UdamPb18aBKrYGNDS4XPOZHiLnnkXh0FFVtwIEp3\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">IT BEGINS: Dana Nessel sends &lsquo;Cease and Desist&rsquo; threat letter over election &lsquo;misinformation&rsquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fe0zWrm15Q\">https:\/\/t.co\/fe0zWrm15Q<\/a> via <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Th_Midwesterner?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Th_Midwesterner<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The Midwesterner (@Th_Midwesterner) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Th_Midwesterner\/status\/1820907257619530026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 6, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The letter, signed by Criminal Trials Division Chief Robbin Liddell, demanded Elieff  &ldquo;remove[]&rdquo; &ldquo;[a]ny false or misleading information&rdquo; from &ldquo;all platforms.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-6506d052085b5fad2072f051bbbcb643 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-6506d052085b5fad2072f051bbbcb643\"><\/div>\n<p>Accordingly, Elieff told The Federalist she removed or modified her posts.&nbsp;In a screenshot she shared with The Federalist, a Facebook post by &ldquo;Kerry Lynn Elieff 4 Ross Township Supervisor&rdquo; alleges that &ldquo;It has come to my attention that the voting locations for Precincts 1 and 2 have been changed. Precinct 1, previously located at the August Village Hall, has been changed to be at the Sherman Lake YMCA.&rdquo; Elieff unsuccessfully <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlive.com\/politics\/2024\/08\/live-election-results-for-kalamazoo-area-races-aug-6-2024.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">challenged<\/a> incumbent Supervisor Christina Hutchings in Tuesday&rsquo;s primary. Elieff told The Federalist she was concerned that local officials had changed polling locations without adequately telling the public at least 60 days beforehand, as required by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislature.mi.gov\/documents\/mcl\/pdf\/mcl-116-1954-XXVIII-POLLING-PLACES-EQUIPMENT-SUPPLIES.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">law<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It has come to the attention of our office that you have spread misleading or false election information regarding polling locations in Ross Township through on-line sites,&rdquo; reads the letter on Nessel&rsquo;s letterhead. &ldquo;The polling locations in Ross Township were legally approved and selected by the township board and clerk.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Nessel&rsquo;s office cited MCL 168.932(a), claiming the statute &ldquo;prohibits and criminalizes&rdquo; Elieff&rsquo;s &ldquo;conduct.&rdquo; This statute <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislature.mi.gov\/Laws\/MCL?objectName=MCL-168-932\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bans<\/a> any &ldquo;attempt, by means of bribery, menace, or other corrupt means or device, either directly or indirectly, to influence an elector in giving his or her vote, or to deter the elector from, or interrupt the elector in giving his or her vote at any election held in this state.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t have a chance to even share with them the truth,&rdquo; Elieff said. &ldquo;They didn&rsquo;t say, &lsquo;If you believe this is an error, call me.&rsquo; There was nothing like that.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e149e06cf0747e734316116747eaa018 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e149e06cf0747e734316116747eaa018\"><\/div>\n<p>While Liddell&rsquo;s signature included a phone number, Elieff said she did not feel comfortable calling.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I even thought about calling and saying, &lsquo;Can you explain to me what misinformation I was giving?&rsquo;&rdquo; Elieff said. &ldquo;With this threat, how do you feel comfortable calling in?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reporting Speech as &lsquo;Misinformation&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>Elieff told The Federalist she thinks she was reported by someone in Ross Township who disagrees with her.<\/p>\n<p>Benson, a Democrat, is encouraging Michiganders to <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/02\/secretary-of-state-asks-michiganders-to-report-their-neighbors-for-election-misinformation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> others&rsquo; supposed election &ldquo;misinformation&rdquo; to a government email address, The Federalist reported last week. A document from Benson&rsquo;s office said &ldquo;citizens can and should join this effort&rdquo; to &ldquo;hold people accountable for spreading lies about elections.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The secretary of state&rsquo;s office offers its own sources of &ldquo;trusted&rdquo; information, apparently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/sos\/-\/media\/Project\/Websites\/sos\/Elections\/Clerk-toolkit\/Educational\/MDOS_ElectionMisinformation.pdf?rev=078a8ecdc8cc4d67acb0c774e4e3e82f&amp;hash=E1078EC3435D64D3CF1F9EB0C9F3474C\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">referring<\/a> residents to its own &ldquo;fact checks&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/sos\/faqs\/elections-and-campaign-finance\/fact-checks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">page<\/a>. The office also refers readers to FactCheck.org, PolitiFact, and Snopes &mdash; groups that have proven themselves <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2016\/12\/29\/politifact-slants-truth-ratings-republicans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">leftist<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2019\/07\/30\/left-wing-fact-checker-snopes-is-trying-to-deplatform-babylon-bee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">information<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2018\/04\/30\/factcheck-org-wrong-californias-lgbt-therapy-ban-ban-bibles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gatekeepers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Benson also recently <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/02\/secretary-of-state-asks-michiganders-to-report-their-neighbors-for-election-misinformation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">launched<\/a> a &ldquo;Democracy Ambassador&rdquo; program, according to a July press release, which focuses on recruiting residents to &ldquo;squash&rdquo; and &ldquo;combat any election-related misinformation targeting Michigan voters.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Nessel spoke to journalists in July about the importance of &ldquo;collaboration&rdquo; between officials and journalists as her department <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/ag\/news\/press-releases\/2024\/07\/29\/ag-nessel-emphasizes-election-integrity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attempts<\/a> to &ldquo;eliminate misinformation from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-new-acting-attorney-general-jeff-rosen-recently-wrote-an-essay-on-foreign-influence-in-us-elections-this-tells-us-a-little-about-his-knowledge-of-whats-going-on-today\/\" title=\"The New Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen Recently Wrote an Essay on Foreign Influence in US Elections \u2013 This Tells Us A Little About His Knowledge of What\u2019s Going On Today\">social media platforms<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Patrice Johnson, chair of the nonprofit Michigan Fair Elections, said she thinks Nessel&rsquo;s prosecution threat could be the beginning of a larger censorship effort.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is trying to silence people before the election. It&rsquo;s clearly trying to stifle civic involvement,&rdquo; Johnson said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like the next generation of 1984, coming here.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Nessel&rsquo;s office did not respond to a comment request Tuesday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-871c3746c775f1d555989b6bf614c666 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-871c3746c775f1d555989b6bf614c666\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Logan Washburn is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-clark-county-keeps-commercial-addresses-on-voter-rolls\/\" title=\"Lawsuit: Clark County Keeps Commercial Addresses On Voter Rolls\">staff writer covering election integrity<\/a>. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo&#8217;s editorial assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan is originally from Central Oregon but now lives in rural Michigan.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Logan Washburn<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/logan-washburn\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/1st-amendment\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">1st Amendment<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/censorship\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">censorship<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/dana-nessel\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Dana Nessel<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/disinformation\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">disinformation<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/free-speech\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">free speech<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/jocelyn-benson\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Jocelyn Benson<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/michigan\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Michigan<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/misinformation\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">misinformation<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/prosecute\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">prosecute<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is warning a resident of potential prosecution for allegedly disseminating what has been described as &#8220;misleading or false&#8221; information regarding elections, as detailed in a &#8220;cease and desist&#8221; letter that surfaced on Tuesday. This development follows reports that Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is encouraging residents to report their neighbors for purported election misinformation.<\/p>\n<p>The recipient of the letter, who initially chose to remain anonymous, identified herself as Kerry Lynn Elieff from Ross Township near Kalamazoo. Elieff stated she expressed concerns on June 12 about changes to polling locations. The letter, dated July 24 and reviewed by The Federalist, indicated that Nessel&#8217;s office was taking action against Elieff for her post about polling places\u2014a notice that left her feeling &#8220;shocked.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Elieff recounted her reaction: \u201cI was just thinking, \u2018They\u2019re going to prosecute me for this?\u2019 They\u2019re probably only hearing one side of the story.\u201d The letter explicitly ordered her to stop using online platforms to share any misleading information regarding polling locations in Ross Township and warned that noncompliance could lead to criminal charges.<\/p>\n<p>Signed by Robbin Liddell from the Criminal Trials Division, the letter demanded Elieff remove any false or misleading content from all platforms. In response, she modified or deleted her posts. One Facebook post attributed to Elieff claimed there had been changes in voting locations for Precincts 1 and 2 without proper public notification at least 60 days prior\u2014something she believed was required by law.<\/p>\n<p>The cease-and-desist notice stated: \u201cIt has come to our attention that you have spread misleading or false election information regarding polling locations in Ross Township through online sites,\u201d asserting that these locations were legally approved by local officials.<\/p>\n<p>Nessel\u2019s office referenced MCL 168.932(a), which they argued criminalizes such conduct aimed at influencing voters improperly. Elieff expressed frustration over not being given an opportunity to clarify her statements before receiving the threat: \u201cI didn\u2019t have a chance to even share with them the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elieff suspects someone opposed to her views reported her actions. Secretary Benson has encouraged Michiganders to report alleged election misinformation via a government email address and emphasized community involvement in holding individuals accountable for spreading falsehoods about elections.<\/p>\n<p>Benson&#8217;s office provides its own sources deemed &#8220;trusted,&#8221; directing residents toward its fact-checking resources along with external organizations like FactCheck.org and PolitiFact\u2014entities often criticized as biased towards left-leaning perspectives.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Benson recently initiated a program called \u201cDemocracy Ambassador\u201d aimed at recruiting citizens tasked with combating election-related misinformation targeting Michigan voters.<\/p>\n<p>In July, Nessel highlighted the need for collaboration between officials and journalists in efforts against social media misinformation during an interview with reporters. Patrice Johnson from Michigan Fair Elections voiced concern over Nessel\u2019s threats potentially signaling broader censorship efforts intended to suppress civic engagement ahead of elections: \u201cThis is trying to silence people before the election&#8230; It\u2019s like the next generation of 1984.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nessel&#8217;s office did not respond when asked for comments on this matter Tuesday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":507,"featured_media":2320382,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Screenshot-2024-08-06-at-7.57.08%E2%80%AFPM-1024x640.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[37413,37414,37412,36160,37415],"class_list":["post-2320381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-election-information","tag-legal-threat","tag-mi-woman","tag-political-controversy","tag-voter-misleading"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Screenshot-2024-08-06-at-7.57.08%E2%80%AFPM-1024x640.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2320381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/507"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2320381"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2320381\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2320382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2320381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2320381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2320381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}