Michigan Leftists are intent on turning the Great Lakes State into a banana republic. That’s why my organization is supporting a new lawsuit to ensure fair and clean elections.

Earlier this month, the Detroit City Clerk sent information (details here) to Michigan Fair Elections which revealed that election officials in Detroit had eight times more Democrat-registered election inspectors than Republicans in the August primary. That meant 2,340 Democratic inspectors vs just 302 Republicans were hired to work the elections — unfair and, under Michigan law, illegal.

The Republican National Committee has responded with a lawsuit to force the city to comply with state law for the November election. The lawsuit correctly accuses Detroit officials of violating their responsibility to have checks and balances in place to ensure honest elections.

This is not the first time that courts have needed to step in to stop liberal lawbreaking. In June, the Court of Claims told Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson that she needs to validate ballot signatures. And they may be needed even when this lawsuit is complete; in July, Attorney General Dana Nessel sent a vague letter threatening criminal prosecution of a township supervisor candidate for asking questions about moving primary polling locations.

Orwellian Nightmare

None of this is good news for clean and fair elections. But we can’t wait for the courts to catch up — by the time a constitutional ruling comes through, who knows how many citizens will have watched their constitutional rights disappear as the rule of law is ignored and dubious elections pile up?

We also can’t let corrupt politicians determine our elections. What we can — and should — do is start getting things back in good order by a) not being intimidated, b) voting, and c) working hard to put eyes on every ballot to ensure accuracy.

Take Benson’s new “election misinformation” campaign. In a letter from the Michigan Bureau of Elections, the secretary urged neighbors to snitch on one another. She led off the first sentence with phrases that might have come from Orwell’s 1984: “The act of spreading misinformation about the election process, voter rights, or even an issue on the ballot is a serious threat to election security.”

These ominous and undefined terms were chosen to have a chilling effect. Any sort of content, from a political editorial to a campaign ad to even classic literature like Huck Finn could be twisted around to target an unlucky citizen.

Urgent Matter

What this means is that we all must remain vigilant against government overreach and bureaucrats who would infringe on our right to fair and transparent elections. Not only did Democrats secure 80% of Detroit election inspector positions, but Republicans, frankly, failed even the small number of inspectors they did manage to recruit.

The Republican National Committee deserves credit for the new lawsuit as well as filing the one that led to Benson being ordered to double-check ballot signatures. But it also failed to step up to ensure that a lawsuit wouldn’t be necessary when it fell short of matching Democrats’ dedication to the gritty work of signing up passionate people and walking them through the qualifying paperwork, ensuring they receive formal training, and seeing to it that they show up to work the polls.

This task now falls to us regular Michiganders. Courts, political parties, and even elected officials can do only so much to ensure fair and honest elections, especially if a few bad actors are hellbent on undermining them.

Our resilient republic was built to withstand unfair pressures, and we can right the ship with a few simple actions. We can recruit our friends and family to vote. We can be present and have eyes on every ballot. We can, with cheerful hearts, give of our time to ensure that all eligible votes are legally cast and tallied. As we participate at every level of our elections and our government, we will protect and preserve the voice of We the People.

After all, Michigan may be the swingiest of swing states. How we vote, so votes the nation.

Patrice Johnson is chair of Pure Integrity Michigan Elections and Michigan Fair Elections, two nonprofit organizations dedicated to preserving and protecting fair and honest elections.