The Tale Of Jocelyn Benson: DHS Co-conspiracy Testimony On Voting Rights

The last time I checked, the 2018 Special Election has yet to be certified.

Then, there is that situation with the 2016 General Election certification.

So......

Riddle me this:

If 72% of the election cycle vote count cannot be replicated in a recount, something Jill Stein experienced in Michigan, then, what was the vote tally?

See, the tally and the vote are two, separate and exclusive datasets.

Then, we are dealing with Janice Winfrey.

So, how can one certify the 2020 Primary Election, when no one knows how many people voted?

But, then again, Jocelyn Benson likes to make up stuff all the time.

For some strange reason, I could not find the video.

Perhaps, it was sealed.

About to testify at a virtual hearing before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security titled “Protecting America's Democracy: Ensuring Every Vote Counts." Tune in to the livestream now at https://t.co/CZjoFME4Rz pic.twitter.com/AlPGVYN9jJ

— Jocelyn Benson (@JocelynBenson) August 28, 2020

First, this happened...

Michigan board requires Benson to oversee Detroit's fall election

Lansing — The Michigan Board of State Canvassers is requiring Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to exercise her oversight powers this November in Detroit after widespread problems counting ballots in the city's primary and ahead of a pivotal presidential election.

But Benson, a Democrat from Detroit, said in a Monday interview that her efforts wouldn't focus on just the state's largest city. The Secretary of State's office is going to do a "deep dive" in the coming days to identify additional ways to support multiple cities across Michigan as they prepare for a surge of absentee voting this fall, she said.

"I am confident that we’re going to have record turnout this fall and the results of our elections are going to be accurate,” Benson said.

Maurice Brown, 54, of Detroit, votes in precinct \232 at Greater Emmanuel Institutional church this morning during primary voting in Detroit, Tuesday, August 4, 2020.

About 72% of the absentee voting precincts in Detroit's primary election had ballot totals that didn't match the number of ballots reported in poll books. This situation would likely mean  — under state law — those precincts couldn't be recounted in a close race, which is driving concerns among officials for the general election when the eyes of the nation could be on Michigan.

President Donald Trump won the state by 10,704 votes in 2016, his smallest margin of victory nationwide. Former First Lady Michelle Obama said at last week's Democratic convention that it averaged to two votes per precinct in Michigan.

"I don’t really care what the issue is," said Julie Matuzak, a Democratic member of the Board of State Canvassers. "I care that this not happen in November.”

On Monday morning, the board of two Democrats and two Republicans unanimously certified statewide election results for the Aug. 4 primary but included language in the certification that seeks to ensure that Benson gets further involved in supervising what happens with the general election in the state's largest city.

The board approved a requirement that Benson exercise "supervisory control" over the November election in Detroit. State law already provides the secretary of state supervisory control over local election officials, and it's unclear what specific changes in the administration of the election will occur.

"I don't think we're in the position to add the detail right now," said Norm Shinkle, a Republican member of the Board of State Canvassers.

Matuzak, who previously called the situation in the primary "appalling," said she wanted regular reports on what's happening in Detroit ahead of the general election. And Shinkle said he wanted to see a list of requirements from the Secretary of State's Office for the state, Detroit Clerk Janice Winfrey and election workers in the city to meet "if Detroit's going to run their own election."

"Otherwise, the secretary of state walks in and runs it," Shinkle said.

Winfrey has connected problems in the primary to election workers who were on the job for more than 20 hours and to a record surge of absentee ballots that they couldn't begin counting until Election Day.

In the Monday interview, Benson reiterated her calls for the Republican-controlled state Legislature to allow election workers to begin processing absentee ballots — getting them ready to be counted — before Election Day to help deal with an onslaught of mail-in voting amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

While it's not the entire issue in Detroit, it's a "significant piece of the challenge that occurred," she said.

"This is in many ways a reflection of the potential for human error that overworked and stressed election workers can succumb to when you have the time crunch we've been warning about for nearly a year and a half," Benson said.

Some Republican lawmakers have opposed the proposed change because of concerns that it could lead to ballots being counted before voting is over, potentially giving one side an advantage.

Jonathan Brater, the state's elections director, said it isn't logistically possible for the state to run the election in Detroit but added that there are things that need to be done "much better" in the city.

For the primary, poll books weren't updated as absentee ballots came in, some absentee ballots were allocated to the wrong precincts and ballots were placed in incorrect containers, Brater said.

"We are going to be taking a more active role, both in the recruitment and the training of election inspectors," he added.

About 72% of the 503 absentee voting precincts in Detroit's primary elections had absentee ballot totals that didn't match the number of ballots reported in poll books.

Overall — for absentee voting and Election Day precincts — 46% of Detroit's precincts had ballot totals that were out of balance for the Aug. 4 primary without provided explanations from election workers, meaning they likely couldn't be recounted under state law. The problems spurred frustration and questions from election officials at both the county and state level.

Asked if it would be a failure if Detroit repeated the 46% mismatch rate in November, Benson said her goal is to ensure there is "complete security of the process."

"I am focused on having successful elections in November," she added. "And to me, success would be defined by an accurate count of all of the ballots that are cast."

The Wayne County Board of Canvassers approved a resolution last week, asking the Secretary of State's Office to investigate the "training and processes" used in Detroit's primary election. The resolution asked the office to provide a monitor to "supervise the training and administration" of absentee voter counting boards in Detroit for the general election.

The Wayne County Board of Canvassers approved this resolution asking the Michigan Secretary of State's office to investigate "the training and processes" used by Detroit for the 2020 primary election.
During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a record 1.6 million people in Michigan voted by mail for the Aug. 4 primary, which itself set a new record for overall turnout of 2.5 million voters.

Winfrey noted the vast majority of the absentee voting precincts in the city with totals that didn't balance were less than three ballots off, plus or minus.

Detroit had problems with precinct count mismatches in the November 2016 election. Election officials couldn’t reconcile vote totals for 59% of precincts in the city during a countywide canvass of vote results with most of the issues involving too many votes.

Monday morning's meeting of the Board of State Canvassers was a continuation of a meeting that happened on Friday, when technological problems interrupted and forced officials to schedule a new meeting.

During the Friday meeting, all four members of the board voiced frustration with the results of Detroit's primary. Republican state board member Aaron Van Langevelde said the situation was "very troubling" and "unacceptable."

"A repeat performance is going to seriously undermine the public's confidence in the general election," he said.

Then, this happened....

#maytheheavensfall

Secretary of State Benson testifies to protect democracy ahead of election

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson testified before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security on Aug. 28.

Her testimony focused on how to protect America’s democracy and ensure that every vote counts this November, according to Benson.

During the testimony, Benson discussed the statewide primary on Aug. 4 that shattered the previous record for total absentee ballots cast.

“Between a global pandemic and what seems near constant and escalating rhetoric and misinformation, 2020 has brought historic pressures on our elections systems,” said Secretary Benson. “In Michigan our statewide primary has served as a blueprint for running safe, secure, accessible elections during the COVID-19 pandemic, while also highlighting critical needs that, if addressed, can put every state on a path towards successful November elections.”

Benson also spoke for the need for partnership and additional support from state and federal officials to replicate what she says was a successful August election in November.

She also called on the federal government to fully fund the postal service and provide another round of funding to states to shore up election preparations.

“Democracy is a team sport, and if we work together we can succeed in holding elections this fall that are secure, on schedule, and an accurate reflection of the will of the people.” said Secretary Benson. “It’s possible, it’s doable, and our voters should demand no less from their government.”

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Michigan Secretary Of State Jocelyn Benson Rewrites Voting Rights Law All By Herself, Again

This is not going to end very well for Jocelyn Benson because she no longer has Fat Ass to guide her through successfully executing the absentee ballot victory process he had mastered.

Trump blasts mass absentee ballot efforts in Michigan, Nevada

"This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State," Trump wrote of the Michigan effort.

Breaking: Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election. This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 20, 2020

Actually, this is not going to end well for anyone who was mean to my Sweetie.

#maytheheavensfall

Secretary of State mailing every Michigan voter absentee ballot application for 2020 elections

LANSING, MI. - Every registered voter in Michigan will receive an application to vote by mail for August and November elections.

Coming off an encouraging May election cycle that saw "record-breaking" voter turnout despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson wants to follow-up those results with an even greater effort.

Absentee ballot applications to be mailed out across Michigan for 2020 election
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has a goal to mail to every resident an application to vote absentee due to social distance concerns for the 2020 election.

In a press release issued Tuesday, the department head promised applications for every one of the 7.7 million registered voters in Michigan. About 1.3 million residents can already vote absentee.

“We appreciate that some clerks are proactively protecting public health by mailing applications to all their registered voters, and we are fulfilling our responsibility to provide all voters equal access,” said Benson. “We know from the elections that took place this month that during the pandemic Michiganders want to safely vote.”

The elections that voters can participate in 2020 include the primary elections held in August and the presidential election in November.

Over the last decade, average voter turnout in local elections in May has been an abysmal 12%. Last May 5, around 50 elections were held across 33 counties and witness almost 25% turnout. The remarkably high numbers serve as indicators for what's to come for Michigan's election systems later in the year.

Among that high turnout came an even more remarkable figure: 99% of ballots cast were by mail. Part of that reason can be attributed to the emergency order signed in March about two weeks after the virus was first confirmed. In the order, the governor expanded absentee voting access by allowing the secretary of state to issue absentee ballot applications to every registered voter and to provide absentee ballots directly to new registrants.

Michigan's election systems have waded into new territory since the state's electorate approved a proposition via a ballot measure that would allow any voter to cast their ballot remotely, regardless of the reason. Benson said this factor was a driving force behind the surge in turnout during the Democratic Primary election held March 10.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Richard Baird Was Summoned By Jordan Chariton For A Leaky Flint Water Transcript Legal Psyoptic

A very interesting leak, I see!

Now, whoever would do such a thing?

I know Jordan Chariton was just talking about this very same thing not so long ago.

Jordan was talking alot about Richard Baird.

Jordan was also talking about how VICE would not pick up his work.

Jordan never shared his information with the Michigan State Police or the FBI, or with anyone else, for that matter, because, I guess, he wants the scoop, where I believe Richard Baird may become the sacrificial lamb to cover up all the stealin' the children, land & vote up there in Genessee County Land Bank territory, but, hey, what do I know.

I know this is about to get juicy, because Kym Worthy, as word delivered to me, is not in a happy place right about now.

I wonder how Fadwa Hammoud is doing?

Todd Flood was working with Andy Arena.

Where is Andy?

Who else had their hands on these transcripts?

Who was the transcription service?

Just asking.

Perhaps, someone should ask Jordan.

Someone should ask Kym and Fadwa how come they are not focusing on all that stuff about all the contracts and land bank stuff.....oh, drats, I forgot, if they did that, they would implicate themselves in what was going on in Wayne County and all those properties that just so happened to end up in the Detroit Land Bank Authority.

My bad.

Release of 'confidential' transcripts concerns Flint water investigators

Lansing — Prosecutors involved in Flint's water investigation believe someone illegally provided confidential interview transcripts featuring aides to former Gov. Rick Snyder to a media outlet.

VICE News cited transcripts of interviews with multiple former officials, including Richard Baird, in a wide-ranging April 16 expose on the Snyder administration handling of lead-tainted water in Flint. Then, on Thursday, the Detroit Metro Times published another story by the reporters of the VICE piece with the full transcripts of the Baird interviews.

A new prosecution team appointed by Attorney General Dana Nessel continues to investigate the water crisis. Courtney Covington, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General's Office, said the prosecution team has "grave concerns about the unauthorized disclosure of investigative subpoena transcripts."

"Investigative subpoenas are, by statute, confidential, and their release without a court order is a violation of the law," Covington said. "Such conduct obstructs the investigation that the people of Flint are entitled to and threatens to jeopardize our pursuit of justice."

However, she wouldn't comment on whether prosecutors were investigating the leak.

The transcripts detail interviews between Todd Flood, who previously led the Flint water prosecution team under former Attorney General Bill Schuette, and Baird from February and March 2017.


Baird was previously Snyder's transformation manager. Snyder and Schuette left office at the end of 2018.

The interview transcripts featuring Baird are marked "highly confidential." And in one of the documents, Flood specifically tells Baird, "This is confidential. It's that simple. So I keep it confidential."

The transcript  "doesn't go anywhere" and is "sealed into an evidence room upstairs," Flood adds at another point.

Citing VICE's reporting, Metro Times alleged "prosecutors were investigating alleged attempts by Baird to pay off sick, publicly outspoken Flint residents with offers that included state-funded medical treatment, expanded Medicaid and home infrastructure replacements for pipes and water heaters damaged by Flint River water."

Randall L. Levine, Baird's attorney, said in a statement to The Detroit News on Monday that claims in the articles about Baird "are false based upon presumption and wrongly place him in a false light."

Baird had been informed that he was not a target of the government’s investigation, Levine said. And Baird voluntarily appeared for the interviews and did not claim privilege as he had nothing to hide, the attorney said.

As for the release of the transcripts, Levine said it "appears the only way such documents could have been leaked would be by the government, which is extremely troubling."

"By law, confidential information obtained by the prosecution including testimony and documents secured pursuant to investigative subpoena cannot be available for inspection or divulged and are exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act," Levine added.

One year ago this month, Nessel's office removed Flood from leading Flint water prosecution.

On Monday, Flood said he had no idea how the transcripts of his interview with Baird became public. But he acknowledged their release was "absolutely" an illegal act.

"I share the concerns of unauthorized disclosures of confidential material," Flood said in a statement. "I am not in a position to know why someone would do such a reckless act to disclose protected material."

Last year, Nessel removed Flood from the prosecution team. Nessel ordered criminal charges dismissed from the past investigation.

Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym  Worthy are now leading the prosecution team. On April 17, they promised criminal charges are still coming and that the criminal statute of limitations and the coronavirus pandemic will not stop them.

VICE says its new reporting into the Flint water crisis spanned "a year and a half across the state of Michigan."

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Michigan Private Redistricting Teleconference Featuring Detroit Land Bank Authority Legal Genius Michael Brady - 2-27-2020

Oh, lookie!

Michael Brady is on the redistricting team.

Michael has alot of experience in gerrymandering through fake ass private organizations.

Jocelyn Benson has alot of experience when it comes to making up her own rules, with advice and consent of fake ass private organizations, too.

I would go, but I am not credentialed media, which is a good thing because I would just publish their own words coming from their mouths, including the audience comments, and use it against them.

I bet they are going to produce a fancy video with cute memes and hashtags about all their redistricting efforts, but will forget the history, because they are bleachbitting legacy, which is why I do what I do.

MEDIA ADVISORY Note: This event is for credentialed media only Feb. 26, 2020 Contact: Mike Doyle DoyleM@Michigan.gov

Press teleconference with updates on Michigan's Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission State officials will announce Michigan has already processed more than 3,000 applications, far more than minimum required by constitution WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 27, 2 p.m. [Opening remarks 2-2:15 p.m.; Media Q&A to follow until or before 2:45 p.m. as necessary] WHO:             Michigan Assistant Secretary of State Heaster Wheeler Sally Marsh, director of special projects for the Michigan Department of State and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson Michael J. Brady, chief legal director for the Michigan Department of State and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson Jake Rollow, director of communications & external affairs for the Michigan Department of State and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson LOCATION: Via conference call – Please RSVP to Mike Doyle of the Michigan Department of State at DoyleM@Michigan.gov or 517-335-3264 to receive the conference call number. WHAT: Press teleconference to discuss applicant demographics and selection methodology for Michigan’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. More than 3,000 applications – nearly half of the more than 6,000 received to date – for the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission have been processed. This total, as measured through Feb. 26, means Michigan has already received far more applications than the minimum required by the constitution. A profile of Michigan’s pool of applicants whose applications have already been processed will be available at RedistrictingMichigan.org. The data will be updated regularly as more applications are processed. In addition, the public comment period is open through March 27 for the weighted selection methodology proposed to identify the 200 semifinalists from whom the commission’s 13 members will ultimately be randomly selected – four affiliated with the Republican Party, four affiliated with the Democratic Party and five who do not affiliate with either major party. During the teleconference, state officials will discuss how the random selection process for the 200 semifinalist applicants will “mirror, as closely as possible, the geographic and demographic makeup of the state” as required by the Michigan Constitution. Officials will emphasize that Michigan voters can continue to apply through the June 1, 2020, deadline. Michigan voters amended the state constitution in 2018 to give the responsibility for drawing state and congressional electoral districts to a randomly selected, independent commission of citizens. The Michigan Department of State launched the application process for the commission in October 2019. It will conclude on June 1. The constitution designates the secretary of state as administrator of the application and selection process for the commission, as well as “secretary without a vote” providing administrative support to the commission once formed. More information on the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is available at RedistrictingMichigan.org.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Could Ibrahim Aljahim Takedown An International Espionage Elected Officials Money Laundering Trafficking Tiny Humans Network?

Kym Worthy & Ibrahim

You can bet your bottom dollar Ibrahim can takedown an international espionage elected officials money laundering trafficking tiny humans network.

Well, it seems Alexis Krot kicked volleyed over to Kym Worthy.

I wonder if Kym is going to kick it over to Dana Nessel.

My goodness gracious this is getting juicy because the second largest middle eastern community outside the middle east is going to be partnering with the Detroit rogue ass crew to launch The Colored Peoples Revolution of the NAACP.

Yes, you are about to hear the racial discrimination cacophony in religious fervor coming from the muslims [I know, I know, oxymoronic propaganda] in unison with the NAACP because if Ibrahim goes down, so does a bunch of the "Elected Ones".

That is how those foreign invasions ops work.

You go into a community all humble and pious.

Then, you get your groove on by running dumb ass candidates for public office.

Then, when you get busted, you graciously find a method of diseminating the fact that if you go down, so does the entire network.

And that is why Ibrahim attended the Detroit Ghetto Ass Funeral.

This tale is going to call for pizza and the new CBD seltzer because the world is witnessing how we treat children in Detroit.

Pay attention to how this article dismisses the situation of the youth being labeled as mentally ill and that fact that an elder in society forced fellatio on school property, while on payroll, through federal funding under Title I, XIX, and any other federal grant.

Yes, the school is a charter school, under the laws of Michigan, which automatically kicks this into the DOJ in Religious Land Use.

Yes, the school could not just lose its federal funding, but could also lose its  charter, and that would piss off lots and lots of people.

This is what this article is covering up because it is nothing but a propaganda machine and they do not care about children.

Ibrahim Aljahim’s criminal sexual conduct charges dismissed without prejudice

Ibrahim at the Detroit Ghetto Ass Funeral

HAMTRAMCK — 31st District Court Judge Alexis G. Krot dismissed all criminal sexual conduct charges against prominent Yemeni community activist Ibrahim Aljahim on Thursday, concluding the now long running preliminary exam.

The case was dismissed without prejudice, with Krot informing Wayne County prosecutors that they were free to refile the case, should they present credible evidence which indicated without a reasonable doubt that Aljahim committed the criminal sexual acts he was charged with.

The alleged victim, a 19-year old boy with diagnosed health issues who was a student at the Oakland International Academy where Aljahim was a staff member, testified twice in previous weeks. Krot pointed to severe inconsistencies in his testimony while presenting her ruling.

It is now clear that the prosecution failed to bring in any credible evidence beyond the young alleged victim’s testimony. Krot said that though certain probable cause standards were satisfied by prosecution, they were unable to show that their key witness was credible.

This lack of credibility, coupled with a lack of solid evidence, led Krot to decide that Aljahim’s case would not be bound over to a higher court for a trial.

The alleged victim’s family, as well as Aljahim’s supporters and family, were present at the courthouse, with prosecutors submitting a motion to bind over the case involving two counts of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree.

Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Nida Samona argued that this was a probable cause hearing and that such hearings have a very different standard than a jury trial. She said her team had proved the elements of the crime sufficiently for the matter to be bound over.

“As for the credibility of the witness or any other questions that the court may have, [that] is something within the boundaries and confines of a jury trial,” Samona said.

Defense attorney Roger Farinha cited a 2018 Michigan Supreme Court ruling in which the Court determined that a magistrate was within legal bounds and had the duty to consider all evidence presented in a preliminary exam, including the credibility of the witness.

Krot said that this was an “absolutely vile case” and that Wayne County prosecutors failed to show evidence of all four elements of the case: That an impaired student was sexually assaulted, near school grounds, during the school day and by a member of the school’s staff.

“Proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt is not required, but there has to be some evidence that a crime was committed,” she added.

Krot said that Farinha was correct in citing the Michigan Supreme Court ruling.

She also said that the alleged victim’s confused and inconsistent testimony was in line with medical diagnosis that he was prone to memory impairment and confabulations or filling gaps in his memory with false events.

Aljahim’s bond was terminated and his tether removed. Outside the courtroom, he hugged friends and family and appeared relieved. Farinha told The Arab American News that Judge Krot, “did the right thing.”

“She looked at the evidence and made the right decision,” he said.

Aljahim’s brother Aljahim Aljahim said he wanted an apology from local media outlets and members of a Hamtramck social media page for indicting his brother before knowing the facts of the case or letting the case play out in court.

“We demand a public apology from Fox 2 and those people of Hamtramck that didn’t stand with him, knowing that for the past 20 years he had done everything for the community, for the youth and elders, for women and men,” he said. “It’s sad that people (my brother) helps daily could even think he is capable of something like that.”

Ibrahim Ruling Case Law by Beverly Tran on Scribd

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Michigan Absentee Voting - How The Demons Of Detroit Cast Stolen Ballots For Election Clerks

"Bring me more absentee ballots."

Jocelyn Benson is having what I like to call a cognitive dissonance moment, where she is lounging in her warm bath of denial, covered in an aromatic effervescence of a bubbly glow, for having won her election through absentee voting fraud in Detroit and has yet to get caught.

Janice Winfrey has her own demons, as well as a rogue ass crew with their own slithering black souls.

Speaking of slithering black souls, where is Fat Ass?

Clerks facing challenges with absentee voting skyrocketing in Michigan elections

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said citizens must also contribute to election security by guarding against the "hacking of their minds" through the spreading of fear or propaganda. Wochit, Wochit

With absentee voting skyrocketing since voters approved a ballot proposal  last year allowing for its expansion, clerks across the state are worrying about counting ballots next year, when a record turnout is expected for the presidential race.

Some clerks and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson are calling on the state to allow election officials to be able to open and prepare absentee ballots for counting — and maybe even begin tabulating — votes before Election Day.

Opponents worry that early processing and counting could lead to more voter fraud because ballots could be less secure until they're ready to be counted. They're also concerned that results could leak out and have a chilling effect on voters who haven't cast ballots yet.

In the August primary and November general election, when city leadership races and police and parks millages were at stake, absentee voting in some communities was as high as 82%. Hot races drew a record number of absentee voters: 

• In Warren,  51.2% of the votes came from absentee voters, who provided the winning margin for Mayor Jim Fouts' reelection last week. 
• In Westland, where seven candidates were vying for four City Council seats, 67% of the voters cast absentee ballots last week. 
• In Rochester Hills, where six people were running for two seats on the City Council, 82% of voters chose the absentee route during the August primary. 

Thirty other states and Washington D.C. have rules and laws in place that allow for election officials to at least begin processing absentee ballots and, in some cases, counting the votes, before Election Day. This eases the load on Election Day and allows for quicker release of results after the polls close.

Under Michigan law, election officials aren't allowed to process or count ballots until Election Day.

Local clerks seeing big changes in voting habits

Local clerks began seeing the impact of Proposal 3, allowing anyone to vote by absentee ballot, in the first election of the year in May.

But the August primary and the November 5 election results confirmed their suspicion that elections in Michigan have changed forever.

“In August, 82% of the ballots we issued were voted by absentee,” said Rochester Hills city clerk Tina Barton. “On Tuesday (Nov. 5), more than 50% were absentee and I’m anticipating in March (for the presidential primary), we’ll be back to the higher number.”

In statewide November elections in 2014, 2016 and 2018, absentee voting rates ranged from 25.4% to 26.5%. While the state doesn't keep a tally in municipal elections, cities across the state reported absentee vote totals from last week's election at 50% or higher.

Coupled with a new provision that allows people to register to vote, and cast ballots, up through Election Day, clerks are worried about how to cope with the more labor-intensive duties on Election Day.

In Warren, where a highly contested race for mayor attracted a higher than normal turnout, 51.2% cast absentee ballots.

“Our permanent absentee voter list went from 12,000 to 21,000 people and that number could double for the presidential election next year,” Warren city clerk Sonja Buffa said.

Warren election workers began counting the absentee ballots at 8 a.m. and didn't finish until 11 p.m.  It's a labor intensive process that requires ballots to be removed from envelopes, unfolded, flattened and fed through a ballot tabulator.

"I think it will eventually even out and I’ll need less people at the polls and more at AV board," Buffa said. "But for now, I like to have six people at each of the precincts and at least 50 people counting absentee ballots."

In Westland, 67% of the 8,638 voters who cast ballots chose the absentee route. And that wasn’t a surprise for Clerk Richard LeBlanc.

“One of the things that I did when I first was elected was an outreach effort because we had 11,000 people over 60 who weren’t permanent absentee voters,” he said. “We went from slightly over 4,000 on our permanent AV list to 11,000. So, we’ve had the benefit of a couple of years of a higher volume.”

And 2020 is only going to be bigger. The last four presidential cycles have recorded turnouts of at least 63% in Michigan.

"While we don't make specific predictions, we’re expecting a surge in turnout next year, because a lot of people are watching and are excited about this coming election," said Myrna Perez, the director of Voting Rights and Elections at the Brennan Center for Justice, a New York-based organization that advocates, in part, for equal and fair access to voting. "We're telling election workers they need to be prepared."

Michiganders wanted easier access to the polls

The surge in absentee voting comes after Michigan voters overwhelmingly passed a ballot proposal in 2018 that expanded access to voting in several ways. The proposal:

• Allowed all voters to vote by absentee ballot without having to provide an excuse. Previously, voters had to use one of six reasons to be eligible for absentee ballots — 60 or older, out of town on Election Day, being a poll worker, being unable to vote without assistance at the polls, in jail awaiting arraignment or trial; unable to vote in person because of religious reasons;
• Allowed voters to register to vote, and cast ballots, up through Election Day. Before Proposal 3, people couldn’t register to vote in the 30 days before an election.
• Restored straight-ticket voting, which allows voters to fill in one box on the ballot to vote for all Republicans or Democrats.

The sentiment behind the “Promote the Vote” ballot proposal was to make it easier for people to cast ballots and to perhaps increase participation in elections.

Turnout this month was up slightly in Wayne and Macomb counties compared with the comparable election four years ago, but down slightly in Oakland County.

Macomb County Clerk Fred Miller can’t say yet whether the increase in absentee voting was a factor for the turnout uptick.

“We had a couple of really high-interest races in some communities,” he said, pointing to the Warren mayor’s race and millages in Washington Township. “I think it will take a couple of election cycles to figure it out.”

Charles Stewart III, who runs the election data and science lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said there’s little evidence that easier access to absentee voting increases turnout in big election years, such as the 2016 or upcoming 2020 presidential elections.

“Where it does increase turnout is for elections of lower interest, like school board elections, bond issues or municipal elections,” he said. “Those are areas where, when you have a permanent absentee voter list, you can double turnout in those elections pretty easily.”

Clerks say proposals for help not adequate

Lawmakers are looking at ways to ease the burden on local clerks. Bills have been introduced that would mandate local clerks create permanent absentee voter lists that would be used to mail out applications for absentee ballots.

The bills also would make it easier to consolidate precincts as more people choose the absentee voting route and allow clerks to use more unconventional locations for polling precincts, since some locations such as schools are no longer allowing elections officials to use their buildings for precincts.

But that’s not nearly enough for many clerks who have to balance the need for maintaining the integrity of the election with reporting results in a timely manner.

Clinton Township Clerk Kim Meltzer told lawmakers last month that 16,000 voters cast absentee ballots in the August election and it took her election workers until 2:30 a.m. to get those ballots counted.

“And now we’re anticipating even more of an increase in 2020,” she said. “Even if it’s just three hours more, that’s taking us to 5 a.m. and it’s mostly older people processing the ballots.

“With sleep deprivation, mistakes are more likely at that point,” she added. “We want to provide quick results, but not at the expense of the integrity of the process.”

Some clerks are calling on the state to allow election officials to be able to at least open and prepare absentee ballots for counting before Election Day.

Barton takes it a step further and said that clerks should be allowed to run absentee ballots through voting tabulators before Election Day, making sure that no vote totals are tallied until the polls close at 8 p.m. on election night.

“We can start counting early, putting ballots through tabulators. Or Virginia has a preparation process, getting the ballots in stacks and ready to go, but not tabulated,” she said. “It’s like chopping all the vegetables the night before for Thanksgiving dinner.”

Other states are doing it. Oregon is one of three states — the others are Washington and Colorado — that does all of its voting by mail and begins running ballots through tabulators before Election Day.

Michigan was the latest state to allow for no-reason absentee voting, joining 30 other states that let voters fill out and turn in their ballots before Election Day. Another 19 states require a specific excuse for absentee voting.

Some clerks and lawmakers are skeptical of early voting, though, and are concerned that results might leak out before all voters cast their ballots.

"I’m not totally comfortable with the idea of counting ahead of time," said Macomb's Miller, noting it's a decision that local clerks will have to make. "I’d be afraid that there would be unintended, maybe chilling consequences."

Sen. Ruth Johnson, R-Holly, is the former Secretary of State and said that because 1,520 city and township local clerks run elections in Michigan, instead of the 83 county clerks, there is too much room for error.

"The biggest concern is how do you sequester and keep the integrity of those ballots," she said. "We have had people, clerks that have fiddled with ballots and they were caught,"

But Stewart said there are ways of managing those concerns.

"You can make a distinction between getting ready to scan and actually scanning the ballots. There are ways of opening envelopes and putting them in secure batches and coming back on Election Day," he said. "And the fact is that there are administrative controls for early voting, so the results aren’t leaking out ahead of time."

It's a system that Benson also has endorsed. She told lawmakers earlier this year that she wants clerks to be able to start counting ballots four days before Election Day.

"This will help ensure they are able to provide accurate election results as soon as possible following the close of polls on Election Day itself, while reducing the possibility for counting errors that occur when you're trying to count a significant number of ballots in a short period of time," she told the House Elections and Ethics committee.

The surge in absentee voters remains one of Benson's biggest concerns about the 2020 election and beyond, she told a Senate Elections panel on Oct. 30.

"Citizens are going to be voting by mail in increasing numbers more than ever before and we need to be prepared for it," she said. "If you educate voters and give them the opportunity to vote by mail, they will take advantage of that."

In the meantime, some clerks are using advanced technology to speed the process of counting absentee ballot. Many communities are using high-speed tabulators to more efficiently count ballots and Westland's LeBlanc has an envelope-opening machine that also cuts down the time it takes to get ballots counted.

Right to register and vote on Election Day causing headaches, too

Voters also are taking the advantage of new law to register to vote in the month before an election.

In last week's election, more than 2,000 people registered to vote in the 14 days before the election, including 1,000 who registered and voted on Election Day, according to preliminary figures from the Secretary of State. One-third of those registering on Election Day were 18-21 years old.

"We’re optimistic that next year we’ll see even more people, particularly young people, take advantage of this opportunity and our democracy will be better for it," Benson said.

And that's also creating additional challenges for clerks, especially on Election Day, when most workers are tied up with running the actual election.

"We had three people register on Election Day," LeBlanc said. "I knew a mother and daughter who came in and I said 'happy birthday,' to the daughter. She looked at me and said, 'It's not my birthday,' and I said it had to be her birthday if she was coming in to register on Election Day."

Barton said there were only about four people who registered to vote in Rochester Hills on Election Day.

"But that’s time-consuming, so we have to hire multiple employees for that, too," she said. "Elections are kind of like Christmas — they’re exciting, they're expensive. Some people are naughty, some are nice. And they’re full of surprises."

Additional election resources are scarce

As with many public policy issues, much of the concern revolves on having enough resources to get the job done.

Benson asked lawmakers for an additional $3 million to help with the new voting laws, including purchasing more high-speed tabulators for clerks. But lawmakers made no promises.

"Lawmakers need to better resource election administrators so they can handle these voting surges adequately," said Perez of the Brennan Center. "Americans have the best democracy in the world and we don’t want to pay for it. It's not cheap to run elections well."

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote©

Another Reason Why The Michigan Child Welfare Sucks - Another Question Why No One Will Stop It

Michigan intentionally created this population of "The Poors" for the purposes of profit.

Michigan's Child Welfare System Sucks.

That boy should never have been in the care of the State.

There is no help for the parents whose children are only the victims of the wonderful biomedical, psychiatric and socioeconomic experiments, performed by the likes of foreign corporations, with costs reimbursed through Medicaid.

An entire generation of parents have been demonized from the resounding sounds of praise in pointing the finger at the moral turpitude of poverty, where one is blessed when there is a maximization of profits.

The term is called "involuntary placement" into Foster Care, the only place where a parent may access mental health treatment that is so poorly run, children will learn to defend themselves, to the death, for the purposes of survival.

Wayne County has an absolutely deplorable track record when it comes to prosecuting youth.

Someone should really confront Kym Worthy on this because I know of duplicate cases being run under her jurisdiction, where she did absolutely nothing except run one sensational case after another, leaving children to fear the court and the entire juvenile system, taking their chances of survival to the streets.

You people like to call it human trafficking, now a days.

Some of these age out youth have no parents and are left to fend for themselves, if they are lucky to capture that glorious SSI check, to get a room and some make shift community support system.

The parents sacrifice everything to care for what was done to the mothers during gestation and their children in Michigan's Foster Care System.

I have documented and witnessed the massive pilfering of this "it takes a village" mentality for more than two decades.

It boils down to parental rights.

This is nothing but another residual of the peculiar institution.

Praise the lord and may the heavens fall for what has been done to our most precious treasures.

Nancy Edmunds needs to stop covering up the hellhole of Michigan's Child Welfare System.

I would love to see a forensic audit on his medical and psychiatric files because there was mention of a kidney condition.

You do not break confidentiality in doing a stochastic analysis of the expenditures and you will most definitely find Medicaid Fraud In Child Welfare.

Happy Trafficking Tiny Humans Month!

Sent from jail to ER, teen marooned 45 days without psych bed

Darian and his mother need to tell their stories

A severely mentally ill teen discharged from jail to a local emergency room after being ruled incompetent to stand trial for murder was discharged late Thursday to a state-run psychiatric hospital as The Detroit News made calls about his placement.

Darian Smith-Blackmon has been placed at one of Michigan's five psychiatric hospitals, after spending 45 days at Detroit Receiving Hospital.

The News is not disclosing his location to protect his privacy.

Darian Smith-Blackmon, 19, pictured here on Oct. 30, 2019, with his mother, Melvina Smith of Romulus, was discharged from Wayne County Jail to the E.R. at Detroit Receiving Hospital on Sept. 17, and remains an inpatient while awaiting placement in an adult foster care home.

"Darian was ruled incompetent and the process should not take this long," said Ann Arbor attorney Bill Amadeo, who represents Smith-Blackmon.

"There's certainly a problem that needs to be corrected."

A Michigan Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman wouldn't comment on Smith-Blackmon's case because it involves "protected health information."

"However, once an individual is identified as permanently incompetent, if they are thought to need additional hospital level care, they may go through probate court for that commitment, and these activities can occur at the local level and take some time to complete," HHS representative Lynn Sutfin said Friday.

The department "is working with many stakeholders to help improve both the ability to access state hospital beds, and the ability for the community to facilitate discharges to make those beds available."

The case of Smith-Blackmon illustrates how Michigan, like other states, grapples to care for its most difficult mentally ill patients while preventing them from hurting others. His case was highlighted in an Oct. 10-11 Detroit News series called "Healing Justice" that  compared Norway's innovative approaches to mental health and criminal justice with practices in Michigan and the United States.

There were 191 people on a waiting list for treatment at a state mental hospital as of Oct. 31, up from 138 waiting for a bed at the end of September, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

The autistic teen was found incompetent to stand trial on Aug. 27, but remained at Wayne County Jail for 21 more days. Late on the evening of Sept. 17, he was transported to the emergency room at Detroit Receiving Hospital.

The 19-year-old Smith-Blackmon had spent nearly six months in jail after assaulting a fellow resident at an adult foster care home on March 22. He suffers from intellectual disability, psychosis and bipolar disorder, and has been in and out of group homes and hospitals since the age of nine.

John Bagget, an elderly man with "mild retardation and schizophrenia" at Woods Care Home in Wayne, died of his injuries on April 22, and Smith-Blackmon was charged with first-degree murder.
The News was unable to contact Bagget's next of kin.

Questions remain about why Smith-Blackmon was sent to Woods Care Home, a low-security facility with mostly senior residents, after he had assaulted residents at two previous adult foster care homes.

"I don’t think anything (was) intentionally screwed up here, it’s just that nobody knows how to handle this kind of problem," said Amadeo, the attorney.

Michigan had the 46th fewest mental hospital beds in the nation with 7.3 state psychiatric beds per 100,000 residents, according to a 2016 study by the Treatment Advocacy Center, a Virginia nonprofit that works to reduce barriers to care for the mentally ill. The state had 725 beds in a state with nearly 10 million people.

During a Wednesday night interview with The News at the teen's hospital room, Smith-Blackmon's mother, Melvina Smith of Romulus, said social workers were trying to locate another adult foster care home to take him.

"This is the picture of a system failure across the board that allowed this to happen," said Tom Watkins, a former state mental health director and former director of the Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority. "We have a responsibility to get it right for this young man.

"We can't afford to fail — for the people he's going to be around, his family who love him and society at large. Without the proper treatment and service, he could be a ticking time bomb."

The Detroit Wayne Wayne Mental Health Authority, which oversees adult foster care home placements for the county, would not comment on Smith-Blackmon's case.

The authority's network strives to "prevent crisis, provide early intervention and stabilize individuals" while providing a safety net of crisis services for Wayne County's 75,000 residents, said spokeswoman Tiffany M. Devon.

Smith-Blackmon gave his mother multiple hugs during his Wednesday night interview. He greeted a reporter with a smile and shyly revealed a tattoo on his right arm that he's proud of.

"Woke, sleep, watch movies," he said when asked what he did that day. "I'm bored."

Smith-Blackmon didn't receive any psychotherapy at the hospital, jail or any of the four adult foster care homes he's lived in during his short time as an adult, Smith said.

Asked if he'd like to get therapy, Smith-Blackmon said "yes."

Asked how he feels when he thinks about the "incident" at Woods Care Home, he looked down at his hands and said "sad."

Darian Smith-Blackmon, 19, pictured here on Oct. 30, 2019, with his mother, Melvina Smith of Romulus, was discharged from Wayne County Jail to the E.R. at Detroit Receiving Hospital on Sept. 17, and remains an inpatient while awaiting placement in an adult foster care home.Buy Photo
Darian Smith-Blackmon, 19, pictured here on Oct. 30, 2019, with his mother, Melvina Smith of Romulus, was discharged from Wayne County Jail to the E.R. at Detroit Receiving Hospital on Sept. 17, and remains an inpatient while awaiting placement in an adult foster care home. (Photo: Karen Bouffard, The Detroit News)

Smith said she was perplexed why her son was discharged from the jail to a Detroit hospital emergency room on Sept. 17.

The hospital discharged him to an adult foster care home four days later, but he was returned to the emergency room within hours, so emotionally upset that he required restraints and injections to calm down, his mother said.

A few days later, Smith-Blackmon experienced kidney problems, chest pains and an elevated heart rate, and was moved to a medical unit for intravenous treatment, she said.

He was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, according to Smith. It's a serious syndrome that can lead to kidney failure. A long list of possible causes for the condition includes physical injury, exposure to infections or use of anti-psychotic medications.

According to Smith, her son's been off intravenous treatment "at least (a) couple weeks now."  But she's been frustrated by the difficulty of getting medical information on her son.

Though found incompetent to stand trial, he's still legally his own guardian. Smith said she'd taken steps to obtain guardianship before the assault occurred, and she still hopes to accomplish that. She also hopes that, one day, she'll be able to care for him herself.

"I want him to get treatment," Smith said. "He wants treatment, but he also wants freedom at home."

About 2% of people with a serious mental illness commit major crimes, according to the Treatment Advocacy Center, a Virginia nonprofit that works to reduce barriers to care for the mentally ill.

Residents at Michigan state mental hospitals receive psychotherapy in addition to psychiatric medications, according to experts, who say therapy can be effective in helping aggressive or violent mentally ill people learn to live safely in community settings.

"I don't think he will ever be competent to understand what the average person understands," Amadeo said. "I don't think Darian will ever have a nine-to-five job, but I think he could have a decent life where he's not a threat to society.

"That's what we can hope for in this situation. I think there's a chance to help him, and help him while protecting the community. That can be accomplished."

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

JUDICIARY: CHAIRMAN NADLER FLOOR STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF H.R. 777, THE DEBBIE SMITH ACT OF 2019 - October 23, 2019

Washington, D.C. – Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) delivered the following remarks on the House floor in support of H.R. 777, the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2019:

“I rise in strong support of H.R. 777, the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2019.  The Debbie Smith Act, named for a courageous woman who has fought for the rights of survivors of sexual assault, is critical to helping states process DNA evidence and reduce the nation’s large backlog of untested DNA samples.

“This law, which I helped author and enact in its original form in 2004, was developed in response to a crisis of untested DNA samples—a problem that we have helped to reduce, but which unfortunately still requires our urgent attention today.  Over the past several decades, evidence from DNA samples has helped to solve an increasing number of criminal cases and has been particularly valuable in identifying the perpetrators of the horrific and all-too-common crime of sexual assault.

“The use of DNA evidence kits in sexual assault cases is critical, and it is imperative that the evidence that is collected is analyzed as soon as possible. When the evidence is collected and processed, the DNA profile is added to the Combined DNA Index System so that matches against other DNA profiles can be sought, increasing the scope of the database.

“By testing the DNA evidence left at the scene of a rape or sexual assault, we can increase the likelihood of identifying the perpetrators, making it more likely that they will be captured and punished.  This, in turn, allows victims to obtain some measure of justice and society to take violent criminals off the streets.  DNA evidence also allows us definitively to exonerate the falsely accused. However, over time, crime labs across the country regrettably developed a large backlog of DNA samples that they had not tested, an intolerable situation calling out for federal action.

“In response, in 2000, I supported the passage of the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act, which provided $40 million to help states analyze DNA evidence and, in 2002, I introduced the Rape Kit DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act.  This legislation authorized funding to help police departments finance the testing of rape kits to reduce the backlog.  Working with my colleagues and with advocates, we maintained the pressure to address this problem.

“Then, in 2004, I was an original cosponsor of the Justice for All Act, introduced by our colleague, Jim Sensenbrenner.  That bill included many of the provisions of my 2002 bill.  Title II of that bill, named the Debbie Smith Act by Congresswoman Maloney, authorized substantial funding for DNA testing and strengthened the ability of state and local law enforcement specifically to test rape kits.  We subsequently reauthorized the Debbie Smith Act in 2008, and again in 2014.

“In recent years, the grants we have reauthorized under the Debbie Smith Act have supported the work of crime labs to build capacity and process DNA evidence, including evidence collected in rape kits, with greater percentages of funding allocated to testing these kits provided in subsequent amendments.

“The Act also supports audits of evidence awaiting analysis at law enforcement agencies and charges the Department of Justice with the task of maintaining national testing guidelines.

“Despite these efforts, the rape kit backlog continues to be a major concern, with a large volume of kits still untested in this country, harming the survivors of sexual assault and jeopardizing public safety.  Therefore, we must continue the valuable programs authorized by this important law.

“That is why we included the reauthorization of this program in the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization bill developed by the Judiciary Committee and passed by the House earlier this year, but which is languishing in the Senate.

“While we take steps to separately pass the reauthorization of the Debbie Smith program today, I again call on the Senate to fulfill their responsibility to pass the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization without additional needless delay.  Therefore, I support H.R. 777 and reserve the balance of my time.”

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Cocktails & Popcorn: Will "The Girls" Charge "The Boys" With Infantcide - Flint Water Crisis Due Over

Pastis must always be served with water

I believe someone knows something about stuff.

After "The Girls" have finally achieved their clowning glory of restarting the investigation and controlling the narrative.

"The Girls" want to know what is in those phones and hard drives.

I believe "The Girls" are going to go after the Madame, Maura Corrigan, and her prayer groups because this all took place under the reign of the Emergency Manager.

That would be a great way of diverting attention away from the financial fraud schemes of the contracts, the gerrymandering, the campaign financing, and all the other nasty things associated with the water and authorities of Detroit.

This new investigation could be protracted for years, or, it could be an opportunity to address that pesky "attorney-client privilege" immunity when it comes to a public capacity, particularly if you are elected into office as a county prosecutor, because we are dealing with Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, which has its own, illustrious history under Mike Duggan.

It will be interesting to see if "The Girls" are going to pick up on infant mortality charges that are the latest rage in abortion laws being elevated to the national agenda.

Force abortion through an intentionally manufactured crisis is not just forced migration, but murder, and "The Girls" could bring criminal charges against "The Boys" who were behind the contracts.

Charging christian pro lifers with infantcide!

Now, that is what I call a legal, manufactured crisis.

How this proceeds, I can only say at this time that I would recommend a nice pastis, as we are dealing with water because we have ourselves a federal investigation going on, but hey, what do I know?

Attorney General Nessel explains decision to halt Flint Water Crisis Investigation, start over.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©