{"id":2345600,"date":"2024-09-25T07:42:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-25T11:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mysterious-group-is-mailing-ballot-applications-in-mi-gov-s-name\/"},"modified":"2024-09-25T07:45:59","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T11:45:59","slug":"mysterious-group-is-mailing-ballot-applications-in-mi-gov-s-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mysterious-group-is-mailing-ballot-applications-in-mi-gov-s-name\/","title":{"rendered":"Mysterious Group Is Mailing Ballot Applications In MI Gov.&#8217;s Name"},"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\">20<\/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%2Fmysterious-group-is-mailing-ballot-applications-in-mi-gov-s-name%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=2345600&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>A mysterious group, identified as The \u2063Voter Project Michigan, has reportedly been sending absentee \u200dballot applications to Michigan residents, some of\u200b which falsely claim authorization from \u2062Democratic\u200b Governor Gretchen Whitmer. One such application was sent to the\u200c elderly mother of Michigan Republican\u2064 State Representative \u200dBrad Paquette, \u200deven though\u2062 her voter registration under her maiden\u200b name is inactive and she hasn&#8217;t lived at that\u200c address for decades. The mailer, which contained\u2063 an official-looking signature from Whitmer and is marked as important\u2062 election information, raises questions \u2063about how the group\u200b obtained information on inactive voters.<\/p>\n<p>Paquette&#8217;s mother is not \u200cthe\u200d only \u200bone receiving these mailers;\u2062 City \u200dCouncilman\u200b Robert \u2064Socha from Hillsdale\u200d noted\u200b that similar applications were sent to his adult \u2062children, albeit without Whitmer&#8217;s\u2064 endorsement. These applications direct recipients to the Michigan \u2062Department \u2064of State\u2019s online absentee registration but use\u200b a generic P.O. box as \u2062their return address, and have raised concerns about their\u200d legitimacy.<\/p>\n<p>Whitmer&#8217;s office did not respond to queries about the mailers, while Michigan&#8217;s Secretary of State spokesperson acknowledged that third-party groups commonly send voter registration forms and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/more-suspicious-elections-absentee-data-from-detroit-36-of-absentee-ballots-returned-were-from-people-who-were-not-listed-as-being-sent-an-absentee-ballot\/\" title=\"More Suspicious Elections Absentee Data from Detroit: 36% of Absentee Ballots Returned Were From People Who Were Not Listed as Being Sent an Absentee Ballot\">absentee ballot applications<\/a>. The group behind \u200bthe \u200bmailers does not appear to be a registered or recognized organization in Michigan, prompting \u2063concerns about\u200d the \u2063integrity of the voter rolls, especially since past lawsuits\u2064 have revealed issues like dead individuals remaining on\u200d voter lists. Critics\u200b are calling for an investigation into the matter to determine\u2062 the extent \u200cof this potentially problematic outreach.  <\/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>\n<p>A mysterious group appears to be sending absentee ballot applications across Michigan, some of which claim authorization from Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;All Michigan voters can securely vote from home by using the enclosed application to request a vote-by-mail ballot,&rdquo; reads a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BradPaquetteMI\/status\/1837578108045496774?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1837578108045496774%7Ctwgr%5Ee95fa380632d4b94b0b9f43c4c5768f5e5334845%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthefederalist.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D329598action%3Dedit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mailer<\/a>&nbsp;that says it was &ldquo;paid for&rdquo; by a group called The Voter Project Michigan. &ldquo;Return the enclosed vote-by-mail ballot application today.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The mailer, addressed to the mother of Michigan Republican State Rep. Brad Paquette, is marked with what appears to be Gov. Whitmer&rsquo;s signature. Paquette told The Federalist the mailer arrived at his mother&rsquo;s old address and was addressed to her maiden name &mdash; with which she registered to vote in 1979. Paquette said his mother&rsquo;s registration with this name is now inactive.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This letter clearly says &lsquo;Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer,&rsquo;&rdquo; Paquette said. &ldquo;How is she soliciting inactive voters from the 1970s?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The mailer appears to come from Whitmer&rsquo;s office &mdash; with the envelope reading &ldquo;important election information from Governor Gretchen Whitmer.&rdquo; The mailer also bears an official-looking heading that reads, &ldquo;Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;From voting rights to the cost of living to the freedom to make your own reproductive healthcare decisions, you and your neighbors will determine the direction for our community and our state,&rdquo; the letter reads.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>My mom hasn&#8217;t lived at my grandma&#8217;s house since she was 19 years old, 45 years ago. <\/p>\n<p>She also has been a Paquette for the last 43 years. <\/p>\n<p>An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-secretary-of-state-investigating-voter-registration-group-run-by-democrat-raphael-warnock\/\" title=\"Georgia Secretary Of State Investigating Voter Registration Group Run By Democrat Raphael Warnock\">absentee ballot application<\/a> was sent to my grandma&#8217;s house in her maiden name authorized by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovWhitmer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@GovWhitmer<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/f4t02a6t5q\">pic.twitter.com\/f4t02a6t5q<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&mdash; Brad Paquette (@BradPaquetteMI) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BradPaquetteMI\/status\/1837578108045496774?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 21, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>But its return address is a nondescript P.O. box in the small town of Dexter, and it features&nbsp; a Disclaimer: &ldquo;Paid for by The Voter Project Michigan &hellip; and authorized by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Paquette said his Republican mother had not been living at the Marquette, Michigan address, so his Democrat grandmother received the mailer at the address. <\/p>\n<p>The application, which Paquette shared with The Federalist, was pre-filled with the maiden name and address of his mother. The application includes a section where recipients can fill out multiple addresses at which to receive ballots.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The U.S. Postal Service will not forward your ballot. We can mail it to you where you are,&rdquo; the application reads.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>Photo courtesy of Michigan State Representative Brad Paquette<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The application disclaims that only U.S. citizens can vote, and directs readers to a &ldquo;reverse side&rdquo; for &ldquo;additional instructions and warnings&rdquo; &mdash;<strong> <\/strong>but Paquette said that side of the paper was blank.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Who else is getting these letters?&rdquo; Paquette asked.<\/p>\n<h2>A Statewide Issue<\/h2>\n<p>In the small town of Hillsdale &mdash; home to conservative <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/?s=hillsdale+college\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hillsdale College<\/a> &mdash; City Councilman Robert Socha said The Voter Project Michigan sent a mailer to each of his three adult children. He shared these with The Federalist.<\/p>\n<p>Socha said his children are currently registered at the family&rsquo;s home address, which is where the absentee ballot applications arrived on Sept. 12. Socha did not receive a mailer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Unlike the mailer addressed to Paquette&rsquo;s mother, these were not pre-filled and did not feature an apparent endorsement from Whitmer. But the materials appeared official, directing recipients to the Michigan Department of State&rsquo;s online absentee registration form and referencing the agency&rsquo;s privacy policy. Like the Whitmer mailers, they also claimed &ldquo;all Michigan voters can securely vote from home by using the enclosed application to request a vote-by-mail ballot&rdquo; and featured the same Dexter P.O. box as a return address.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>Photos courtesy of Councilman Robert Socha<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The application, like the Whitmer mailers, included a section where recipients could designate addresses at which to receive ballots. It also included a section that could be filled out by someone &ldquo;assisting a voter.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Federalist reached out to Whitmer&rsquo;s office, asking if it authorized the mailings featuring the governor&rsquo;s name. The Federalist also asked for details regarding The Voter Project Michigan, but did not hear back in time for publication.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Angela Benander, director of communications for Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, responded to similar questions, telling The Federalist that third<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-is-a-gop-controlled-florida-committee-working-to-gut-an-election-integrity-bill\/\" title=\"Why Is A GOP-Controlled Florida Committee Working To Gut An Election Integrity Bill?\">-party voter registration<\/a> and absentee applications are common.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In election years, many third-party groups send voter registration forms or absentee ballot applications directly to voters and request they return them to their local clerk&rsquo;s office,&rdquo; Benander said. &ldquo;Questions about the recipients and contents of these specific mailers should be directed to the organization that sent them.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Voter Project Michigan, however, does not <a href=\"https:\/\/cofs.lara.state.mi.us\/SearchApi\/Search\/Search\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">appear<\/a> as a licensed business in Michigan or as a <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.irs.gov\/app\/eos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tax-exempt<\/a> organization.<\/p>\n<p>Benander said county clerks are &ldquo;required by law to verify that the signatures on [third-party] forms match the signature on file with the voter&rsquo;s record before accepting them.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, Benson has a history of failing to clean the state&rsquo;s voter rolls. She recently <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/11\/michigan-secretary-of-state-refuses-to-tell-congress-whether-dead-people-are-on-voter-rolls\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dodged<\/a> questions from Congress about whether or not dead people are registered to vote in the state.<\/p>\n<p>The Public Interest Legal Foundation sued Benson in 2021 after it allegedly <a href=\"https:\/\/publicinterestlegal.org\/press\/pilf-appeals-michigan-voter-roll-clean-up-lawsuit-to-six-circuit-court-of-appeals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">found<\/a> 26,000 dead people registered to vote in the state. A district judge <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/03\/13\/michigan-has-more-registered-voters-than-eligible-citizens-in-53-counties-says-rnc-lawsuit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dismissed<\/a> the case, as The Federalist has previously reported. PILF <a href=\"https:\/\/publicinterestlegal.org\/press\/pilf-appeals-michigan-voter-roll-clean-up-lawsuit-to-six-circuit-court-of-appeals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">appealed<\/a> to the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals and asked the circuit court to &ldquo;reverse and remand the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-appeals-court-hands-texas-a-major-border-win-over-the-biden-administration\/\" title=\"Federal Appeals Court Hands Texas a Major Border Win Over the Biden Administration\">district court&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s&rdquo; decision.<\/p>\n<p>The Republican National Committee sued Benson in March, claiming there were more registered voters than eligible citizens in <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/03\/13\/michigan-has-more-registered-voters-than-eligible-citizens-in-53-counties-says-rnc-lawsuit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">53 counties<\/a> statewide, as The Federalist previously reported. The RNC also claimed in May that Benson failed to clean <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/29\/from-dead-registrants-to-inactive-mail-voters-complaints-highlight-michigans-voter-roll-mess\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">92,000<\/a> inactive registrants from the voter rolls.<\/p>\n<h2>Seeking Answers<\/h2>\n<p>Hans von Spakovsky, manager of the Election Law Reform Initiative at The Heritage Foundation, told The Federalist he thinks the mailers bearing Whitmer&rsquo;s name should be investigated.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Are they doing this on behalf of the governor or are they falsely claiming to represent the governor? In either case, they should be investigated for misleading voters into thinking this is official mail from the governor of the state,&rdquo; von Spakovsky told The Federalist. &ldquo;These types of error-filled mailings can confuse voters, facilitate fraud in the absentee balloting process, and ultimately disenfranchise legitimate voters.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>If the group is working on behalf of Whitmer, von Spakovsky suggested she may be &ldquo;abusing her position as a government official for partisan political purposes.&rdquo; He said an investigation &ldquo;should include&rdquo; finding the source of this group&rsquo;s mailing list, which he called &ldquo;seriously out-of-date and inaccurate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Paquette said he and other state legislators are looking into the issue. On Monday, he said, they requested to meet with the Michigan Auditor General, which <a href=\"https:\/\/audgen.michigan.gov\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reviews<\/a> government operations for &ldquo;accountability for public funds.&rdquo; He said he would ask how the group obtained its voter information.<\/p>\n<p>Paquette said many claim the 2020 election was the &ldquo;most secure.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But more and more people are getting really concerned about what&rsquo;s happening right now, especially looking into 2024, with these types of mailers out there,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p><em>For more election news and updates, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/electionbriefing.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">electionbriefing.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      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.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A mysterious group is sending absentee ballot applications in Michigan, claiming authorization from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":507,"featured_media":2345601,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Federalist-Mail-in-ballot.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[41661,32644,4601,8875],"class_list":["post-2345600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-ballot-applications","tag-election-integrity","tag-michigan","tag-mysterious"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Federalist-Mail-in-ballot.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2345600","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=2345600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2345600\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2345601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2345600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2345600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2345600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}