ICYMI: Greg Manz Calls out Dem Hypocrisy in SD 35

Lansing, MI – This week, Greg Manz penned an op-ed for The Detroit News calling out Michigan Democrats for refusing to support early voting efforts when it hurt their electoral chances. In the Michigan 35th state Senate District special election, only Saginaw County, a Democrat stronghold, is offering early voting. Manz starts by pointing out the hypocrisy:

“For years, Michigan Democrats have argued that expanding early voting is essential to protecting democracy. At this very moment, however, a situation unfolding in a state Senate special election suggests that principle may have limits — especially when expanding voting access might aid Republicans in tying the Great Lakes State’s upper chamber.”

Manz goes on to say that “voter access” efforts from Michigan Democrats are really about political strategy, not fairness:

“But accessibility should never depend on partisan, political calculations as we are witnessing in real-time by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Democrats. In the 35th district, early voting in Saginaw is likely to provide Democrats with a turnout boost in their strongest county. Meanwhile, voters in Midland and Bay would have fewer options to cast ballots early. When one party’s strongest base enjoys expanded voting access while the other’s does not, fairness becomes harder to defend.”

He finished the piece by pointing out that there is a simple solution Democrats in the legislature have not pursued:

“Michigan’s state government can easily resolve the issue by providing supplemental funding so every county in the district can offer early voting if they choose. Doing so would eliminate accusations of political favoritism and ensure voters across the district are treated equally.”

You can read the whole piece here.

“This sort of rank hypocrisy is exactly what we’ve come to expect from Michigan Democrats,” said Gabe Butzke, a spokesperson for Michigan Forward Network. “Gretchen Whitmer has left this seat empty for more than a year because she’s been playing politics with people’s right to vote, and it’s no surprise that Democrats are continuing those same games with this special election.”