The Detroit News. Nov. 4
Editorial: GOP keeps a key bulwark
The anticipated “blue wave” Tuesday didn’t sweep as many Democrats into office as expected, and Republicans have managed to keep an important bulwark in Michigan.
It looks like the state House will remain under Republican control - a prize Michigan Democrats have worked hard to take this election cycle.
Democrats needed to flip four seats to upset the current 58-52 GOP majority. Republicans also control the state Senate.
Democrats were holding out hope, saying that all votes still needed to be counted. But Republicans claimed victory first thing Wednesday, after securing 56 seats - with counting continuing in some other races.
If the GOP prevails, as it looks like it will, then this will be the sixth straight legislative session with the House under Republican control, according to the House Republican Campaign Committee.
“The people of Michigan have spoken loud and clear - they want two more years of House Republican leadership at their state Capitol,” said House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, in a statement. “House Republicans have the best plan of action to lead our state forward, and we have a proven track record of turning those plans into tangible results over the past 10 years.”
This could also be a sign that Michiganians want to keep a check on Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s authority. Whitmer upset a lot of citizens and brought the economy to a standstill when she used her executive powers to single-handedly control the state from March until October while battling the spread of COVID-19.
Whitmer must become a better partner with Republican legislative leaders, who want to put together a game-plan for fighting the virus, while also being mindful of the damage another lockdown would do to the state.
On the national front, while U.S. House Democrats will retain their majority, they will do so with fewer members. The Associated Press reported early Wednesday that House Democrats lost at least six incumbents and did not overturn any Republican seats. These are very different numbers than the huge blue wave in 2018 that ushered in record numbers of Democrats in Congress - especially women on the left.
And while it looks like U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Rochester Hills, will hang on to her 11th District seat for a second term, her Republican challenger Eric Esshaki of Birmingham gave her a close race, coming in only several points behind her.
As of this writing, it is also looking increasingly likely that Republicans will retain their control of the U.S. Senate.
Republicans should deliver on the promises they made their constituents, who clearly weren’t ready to turn full control of the state - or country - over to progressives.
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The Mining Journal. Nov 7
Michigan electorate comes through with high voter turnout
Regardless of the outcome, one thing is certain about Michigan residents - we know how to make our voices heard, even in the face of a pandemic.
More than 5.5 million people voted in Michigan’s presidential election - the most ever and the highest percentage of voting-age residents to cast a ballot in 60 years.
The number of voters - in a pandemic - smashed the previous record of 5 million in 2008. About 71% of those age 18 and older voted. The only general election in the past 72 years with a larger portion was 1960.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said it was “particularly inspiring and encouraging” that more than 28,000 people took advantage of a new option and registered and voted on Election Day. Absentee voting - now available to all voters under a 2018 constitutional amendment - surged, to nearly 3.5 million ballots during the virus outbreak.
“I feel immense gratitude for the 1,500 local clerks and thousands of election workers and poll workers in the 83 counties, clerks who really just rose to every single challenge and ensured we had a smooth process,” Benson told The Associated Press. “There were certainly a lot of eyes on the process in every absentee counting board all across our state. The vast majority of that process went incredibly smoothly with folks on both sides of the aisle really reflecting on how smooth and by the book the process was.”
Susan B. Anthony once said, “Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it.” Well, Michiganders from all walks of life have certainly stepped up. Again, no matter what the outcome of this election is, we should all be proud that so many of us stood up and used our power as American citizens.
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Traverse City Record-Eagle. Nov. 4
Michigan election destined for the microscope
A lot of mixed messages came through on Tuesday and Wednesday, from all sides. Stop. Hurry up. Be patient. Fight.
Incumbent President Donald J. Trump threatened to file suit in the Michigan Court of Claims to halt counting our state’s 2-million-plus absentee ballots. He encouraged supporters to “FIGHT BACK” against a “stolen election.” Later Wednesday evening, the conservative, legal-impact based Amistad Project of the Thomas More Society claimed eyewitness accounts of Michigan voter law violations in a downstate polling location.
But up north in our own Antrim County, population 23,557, asked for more time, and patience, to count Trump votes after initially showing “skewed” results, that put Democratic challenger Joe Biden ahead, and Trump with single-digit returns. Trump handily won Antrim in 2016 with more than 60 percent of the votes.
Our Michigan election is headed for the microscope, and that’s neither terrible nor unusual.
We’re actually used to this, even though we tend to forget that every four years - even as our general election races get closer and closer. No, Michigan is no Florida (especially in the winter) but we did start a recount in 2016, though it was stopped by the same federal judge who ordered it, after determining Green Party candidate Jill Stein wasn’t “aggrieved enough.” Political maneuvers came from both sides, as Trump had won Michigan by only 11,000 votes, and wasn’t in favor of it.
But this is General Election 2020. So everyone is bound to be a little more on-edge.
We should remember, in those edgy moments, our turnout. People came out en force - either by mail or in person - in record-breaking numbers.
We came out because we believe in our country, and we believe in our election process. The numbers of voters, and the achingly close margins between our presidential candidates, waves this as if it were a flag.
This country belongs to us, not our politicians. And the election process, too, belongs to us. For that, we the people need to insist on accurate, fair elections.
Getting an accurate count and shining a light on any improprieties is in all of our best interests, whether or not our candidate emerges the victor. This is a number-crunching, clinical process. Violence, emotion, has no place in this accounting.
We showed in our turnout our belief in our process and its ability to get good numbers. In Antrim County, the election software didn’t match printed tabulated tapes from the precincts. That’s a fail-safe built in. Even so, ballots will need to be counted manually and double-checked. Then the canvassing begins to again, to verify results. This painstaking process will happen throughout our state and country.
A core, non-partisan belief in fairness, and free and accurate elections, is integral to our nation. Michigan will be under a microscope, but we believe in close looks, just as we believe in our process.
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