Dave Bondy
Politics • Culture • News
Whitmer Signs Legislation Tightening Regulations on Michigan Election Recounts
Critics Argue New Laws Could Limit Transparency and Increase Costs for Recounts
July 10, 2024
post photo preview

LANSING, MI — Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed a series of bills into law on Monday aimed at tightening regulations on election recounts. The new laws prohibit recounts conducted on the basis of fraud allegations unless the results could impact the election outcome.

Governor Whitmer emphasized the importance of these measures, stating, "This legislation supports fair and free elections, ensuring the winner can take office without unnecessary interference."

 

 

Senate Bill 603 introduces numerous provisions governing election recounts. It clarifies that a recount is not an "investigation or an audit of the conduct of an election," and does not assess the qualifications of voters or the manner in which ballots are issued. Additionally, the law mandates that election boards must refer allegations of fraud to the county prosecuting attorney or the state attorney general, rather than investigating themselves.

The legislation specifies that candidate or ballot question committees can only request recounts for precincts where there is a significant discrepancy between the ballots collected and those issued. This discrepancy must be large enough that reallocating the questioned votes to the losing side could change the election result. Otherwise, a recount cannot be requested.

An analysis by the state House Committee on Elections highlighted past recount requests, such as Green Party candidate Jill Stein's 2016 presidential race recount, despite receiving only 1.07% of the vote. Similarly, in 2022, petitions were filed for recounts of two ballot proposals due to alleged voter fraud, though neither would have impacted the results.

To deter frivolous recounts, the bill increases the fees required to request a recount, ensuring municipalities can conduct them effectively and accurately. By imposing higher costs for larger victory margins, the state aims to discourage unnecessary recount requests for non-competitive races.

State House Republicans, including State Rep. Ann Bollin (R), have expressed opposition to these provisions. Bollin remarked, "I understand the importance of preventing frivolous recounts, but we must also acknowledge the rights of candidates and voters to ensure they have confidence in the results. By making recounts too expensive, we are effectively pricing out local candidates from ensuring the accuracy of election results and diminishing the public’s confidence in the process."

The bill also requires that any recount must be filed within 48 hours after vote certification by the board of county canvassers, preventing prolonged delays in finalizing election results. It establishes that willfully interfering with a recount or its activities is a felony offense, as outlined in Senate Bill 604, which amends state sentencing guidelines to impose penalties of up to five years for such interference.

State Sen. Stephanie Chang (D) praised the reforms, stating, "Today, with the signing of our common-sense recount law reforms, we are strengthening our democracy and ensuring that we reach the most accurate count of the ballots possible during a recount process. These laws achieve critical goals of protecting the security of every vote, modernizing our recount process, and uplifting the voices of Michigan voters."

Governor Whitmer added, "These bills reflect our commitment to ensuring the integrity of our electoral process and upholding the principle of one person, one vote.

B 603 is among several election-related bills promoted by Democrats in Lansing that Republicans said in June are systematically dismantling the ability of election officials to administer fair and accurate elections, Michigan Advance reports."

 

 

 

“Whether you’re an independent, Democrat or Republican, this doesn’t help you,” state Sen. James Runestad (R-White Lake) said. “This kind of stuff is crafted to get an outcome for the people who are not transparent.”

State Sen. Jonathan Lindsey (R-Coldwater) said what Michigan Democrats are doing now is codifying “the ability to manipulate elections in the law,” leaving the door wide enough so they can “pull off the outcome they want in an election.”

“We’ve heard it said over and over, ‘The 2020 election was the most secure election in American history’ — and this is crazy,” Lindsey said. “I think anytime you open the door and leave a possibility for people to cheat, especially in important things, some subset of people are going to do that.” 

community logo
Join the Dave Bondy Community
To read more articles like this, sign up and join my community today
5
What else you may like…
Videos
Posts
Articles
Use common sense this summer

Be smart.

00:00:32
Taxpayer-Funded Megasite Push Ramps Up—School Demolition Planned Despite No Signed Deal with Buyer

Mundy Township, Michigan resident Don Ludwig is sounding the alarm over what he calls a reckless and secretive development project that’s transforming his quiet Genesee County neighborhood into a construction zone—with no confirmed buyer in sight.

At the center of the controversy is a 1,300-acre "mega-site" being prepared for a future industrial development. Backed by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the project has already received approximately $259 million in taxpayer funds to purchase land, demolish homes, and prepare infrastructure for a still-unnamed company.

00:21:59
Michigan Pig Farmers Say State Is Harassing Them Out of Business

LANSING — A group of pig farmers and hunting ranch operators told Michigan lawmakers that the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been waging a decade-long campaign to destroy their livelihoods under the guise of environmental enforcement.

At the center of the controversy is the DNR’s 2010 Invasive Species Order (ISO), which effectively banned the possession of certain breeds of pigs the state deemed “feral” or “invasive.” But according to the farmers, the pigs in question are not wild animals, but barnyard livestock raised for hunting and meat.

“This is not about dangerous pigs,” said Republican State Sen. Ed McBroom during a hearing. “It’s about government overreach. The DNR ignored legislative efforts to regulate the industry and instead used executive authority to force these farmers out.”

If you don’t subscribe to my newsletter please do so. You won’t hear these stories in the mainsteam media. If you are not yet a paid subscriber please become one. ...

00:55:28
🚨 BREAKING: The Supreme Court rules 6-3 to uphold Tennessee’s ban on transgender surgeries and hormone treatments for minors.

🚨 BREAKING: The Supreme Court rules 6-3 to uphold Tennessee’s ban on transgender surgeries and hormone treatments for minors.

OJ was on the run 31 years ago today. Do you remember where you were? I was gathered with a group of friends playing SEGA when we turned on the chase.

OJ was on the run 31 years ago today. Do you remember where you were? I was gathered with a group of friends playing SEGA when we turned on the chase.

post photo preview
BREAKING: Minnesota suspect Vance Boelter taken into custody, radio traffic says. - AlphaNewsMN

BREAKING: Minnesota suspect Vance Boelter taken into custody, radio traffic says. - AlphaNewsMN

News they don't want you to see
Friday June 20, 2025

 

 

 
 

Michigan manufacturer to invest $70 million in new factory to create 300 jobs — in Indiana

LANSING, Mich - The good news: Kentwood-based Autocam Medical is building a new $70 million factory that will create up to 300 new jobs.

The bad news: It’s in Indiana.

he company will break ground on the “100,000 SF state-of-the-art manufacturing facility” in August or September in Warsaw, Ind., on 15 acres near the intersection of N200W and US-30.

“Warsaw offers a workforce with technical excellence in the medical device space and unique industry leadership. That’s exactly the kind of environment where we want to invest,” CEO John Kennedy said in a statement. “We are thrilled to expand in the Warsaw community and contribute to its continued leadership in orthopedic innovation.”

The company currently employs 10 in Warsaw, where the new facility is expected to create up to 300 high-skill jobs, from CNC machinists, to engineers, to other technical and manufacturing roles. Click here to read more.

 

Trump allies tout ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ for boosting skilled trades, slashing green energy waste

WASHINGTON – Two prominent voices are throwing their support behind the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” hailing it as a transformative effort to reinvest in American workers and dismantle what they call bloated, ineffective green energy programs.

Joe Strada, founder and owner of Strada Services, said the bill’s emphasis on vocational training and skilled trades is critical to rebuilding the nation’s workforce and restoring opportunity to everyday Americans.

“I just think it’s only right and fair to let every person in our country have access to the trade and have the opportunity to better themselves and their family,” Strada said on a Florida radio show. “Trade schools and the skill—you know, make America skilled again. That’s how I look at it.” Click here to read more.

 

Woman saves dog left in hot car, but responding officer says she had ‘no right’ to do so

CORNELIUS, N.C. – A woman in North Carolina said she helped a dog who was trapped inside a hot car on a 90-degree day, but a responding police officer told her she had “no right” to do so.

Suzanne Vella said on June 7, she saw a dog panting inside a hot car that was parked in a shopping center parking lot. She immediately knew she had to do something.

Vella said she called 911 and looked in the area for the dog’s owner, but after not finding them, she opened the car door – which was unlocked – and gave the dog some water.

“I was really concerned because I know it only takes a few minutes for dogs to go into heat stroke. It was a 90-degree day,” Vella said. “It wasn’t even a decision, I knew.” Click here to read more.

 

America First Legal Sues the University of Michigan and the Michigan Law Review Association for Illegal Racial Discrimination

WASHINGTON, D.C. – America First Legal (AFL), in partnership with Jonathan Mitchell and Ben Flowers, has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Faculty, Alumni, and Students Opposed to Racial Preferences (FASORP) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan against the University of Michigan and its Michigan Law Review Association to halt its rampant racial discrimination.

The University of Michigan’s Michigan Law Review has adopted a radical diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda, using a so-called “holistic review” process to award illegal racial preferences to minorities over white and Asian applicants with superior academic credentials.

This taxpayer-funded institution brazenly defies Title VI, the Equal Protection Clause, and 42 U.S.C. § 1981, employing secretive selection committees to enforce diversity quotas and discriminatory citation policies that favor “underrepresented” authors while penalizing white scholars, including underrepresented Republicans and Protestant Christians. This anti-American scheme corrupts legal education and undermines equal justice under the law. Click here to read more.

 

How Easy Is It to Order an Abortion Pill? The Answer Is Shocking.

WASHINGTON D.C. - In as little as five minutes, the Daily Caller News Foundation was able to order abortion pills easily opponents argue are unsafe without a doctor adequately verifying key eligibility requirements.

Groups that launched online services after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved mail-order abortions will provide the pill under circumstances that are questionable even by the agency’s relaxed standards, a DCNF investigation found.

“Mail-order abortion subjects women to an abysmal standard of care,” Dr. Christina Francis, CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life OBGYNs, told the DCNF. “Not only is there minimal health screening that occurs, but women typically have no interaction with any medical professional, let alone a physician.”

The FDA removed in 2021 a requirement that providers distribute mifepristone in person and enabled prescribers to send the pill directly to women in the mail. Now, without speaking to a physician or confirming a pregnancy, a woman can order prescription abortion pills to her home “just in case” she needs them in the future. Click here to read more.

 

Read full Article
News they don't want you to see
Thursday June 19, 2025
 
 
 

Media Doesn’t Mention Chilean National Convicted Of String of Home Invasions Was Here Illegally

PONTIAC, Mich. - Ignacio Ruiz-Saldias was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison by a judge June 16 for his role in a string of widely publicized and highly orchestrated home invasions in affluent Detroit suburbs.

Attorney General Dana Nessel identified Ruiz-Saldias as a Chilean national, as did dozens of local TV and newspaper outlets. But almost all the news outlets did not report that Ruiz-Saldias is an illegal immigrant. That’s according to Stephen Huber, public information office for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. According to the Oakland County jail, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has a immigration detainer on him that allows ICE to take him in custody once he is released. Huber said Ruiz-Saldias will be deported after he serves his prison sentence. Click here to read more.

 

Social Security fund could run dry ahead of earlier forecast, trustees say

The trust funds for Social Security and Medicare will run out of money in less than a decade, according to a report released Wednesday, as the programs’ trustees warned that the funds’ depletion date is significantly closer than predicted a year ago.

If Congress does not overhaul the programs’ financing, automatic cuts will slash Social Security benefits by 23 percent and Medicare hospital benefits by 11 percent in 2033, the report said.

For today, yes. But in last year’s annual report, the trustees projected that Social Security would become insolvent by 2035 and Medicare in 2036. They now predict that Social Security’s fund will run out of money in 2033, or in 2034 if Congress changes the law to combine the separate funds for old-age benefits and for disability insurance. They also now forecast that Medicare’s hospital insurance fund will run out in 2033. Click here to read more.

 

Nearly 800 babies likely inside hidden septic tank at home for unwed mothers

TUAM, Ireland - The remains of nearly 800 infants and children are expected to be found inside a hidden septic tank at a home for unwed mothers.

According to the Associated Press long-awaited excavation work began Monday at the site of a former home for unmarried women and their babies in Tuam, Ireland, which was operated by Catholic nuns.

Irish officials believe 798 children died at Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home, an institution that was run by an order of Catholic nuns. The home, which closed its doors in 1961, was one of many church-run institutions in Ireland that housed tens of thousands of orphans and unmarried pregnant women who were forced to surrender their children throughout much of the 20th century, the AP reported. Click here to read more.

 

Nearly 1 in 3 Illinois school contracts mislead teachers about fees they owe

It’s been seven years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled government unions could not force nonmembers to pay “fair share” fees in order to keep their jobs, but nearly one-third of Illinois school districts still have the invalid language in their teachers union contracts.

School leaders are telling employees that even teachers who are not union members must pay “fair share” fees to unions for negotiating the contracts that cover them all, according to the Illinois State Board of Education’s 2024-2025 Teacher Salary Survey. Those 267 districts – including 66 that are negotiating new contracts this year – should remove that language during their next contract negotiations.

Teachers unions, such as the Illinois Federation of Teachers, may be keeping that language in the contracts to purposely confuse teachers into thinking they must either remain members or pay a fee. In reality they can opt out of membership and keep their money. Click here to read more.

 

The push to net zero will send communities across the country in the dark.

MIDLAND, Mich - The energy transition to wind, solar, and utility-scale batteries is simply unworkable.

“Shattered Green Dreams: The Environmental Costs of Wind and Solar” is a new report by Sarah Montalbano and the Center of the American Experiment. In it, Montalbano explains how the environmental, material, and technological flaws and limits of so-called renewables are systematically ignored by policymakers. As the Mackinac Center’s Seven Principles of Sound Energy Policy make clear, all energy sources, including politically favored ones, have an environmental impact.

“Sunshine and the breeze are nonpolluting,” explains Montalbano, “[b]ut building wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries to harvest and store wind and solar resources entail environmental costs in the mining of raw material.” While proponents of net-zero policies may sometimes acknowledge this, the problem cuts deeper than most will admit. Click here to read more.

Read full Article
News they don't want you to see
Wednesday June 18, 2025

Are any of you business owners or someone who wants to grow your social media? I created a free newsletter on how to help you grow your social. Click link below to join.

Get Social Newsletter Here

 
 

Judge orders University of Oregon to pay $191,000 to censored conservative professor

A federal judge ordered the University of Oregon to pay $191,000 to Portland State University professor Bruce Gilley to cover his legal fees in a successful First Amendment challenge to its censorship of Gilley's comment "all men are created equal" in his retweet from UO's diversity, equity and inclusion office Twitter page, according to Gilley's lawyers.

Gilley secured a preliminary injunction last summer that stops UO Equity's account on X, formerly Twitter, from blocking his interactions or "hiding, muting, or deleting" several kinds of his posts to its account. They settled in full this spring after nearly three years in court, with UO changing some policies, but how much UO would have to pay Gilley in legal fees was still hanging. Click here to read more.

 

Contrary to what one commissioner might think, the Constitution comes before any government official

“To the end it may be a government of laws and not of men.” This ideal comes from the part of the Massachusetts Constitution establishing the state’s separation of powers between its three branches of government. The separation of powers is indispensable to the rule of law.

Whether at the state or federal level, the separation of powers keeps the branches of government at bay and restrains government officials’ exercise of power. And without it, nothing would stop government officials from wielding all three powers of government and rising above accountability.

A recent episode of the Trump administration brought this to light.

In early May, President Trump fired three commissioners of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), an independent agency that protects consumers from unsafe products. One of these commissioners is Richard Trumka Jr., who responded by suing the president, arguing Trump doesn’t have the authority to remove him from his position. Click here to read more.

 

88 children rescued from church summer camp after reports of child abuse and endangerment, deputies say

OUISA COUNTY, Iowa – Dozens of children are now in protective custody after deputies rescued them from a church camp in Iowa, according to officials.

On Monday, the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office said 88 children are now in protective custody after deputies conducted a child safety operation on Thursday and Friday.

The sheriff’s office said the operation took place after reports of child abuse and endangerment at the camp.

The alleged abuse happened at the Shekinah Glory Camp in Columbus Junction, Iowa. The camp is run by the Kingdom Ministry of Rehab and Recreation. Click here to read more.

 

USAID Gave Known Con Man $800M Contract To Do Kamala’s Work On ‘Root Causes Of Migration’

President Joe Biden’s USAID awarded an $800 million contract to a business operating out of a Virginia home even after it formally ruled that its key manager lacked “honesty or integrity” — a reference to the fact that, according to a May 12 guilty plea, he had secured USAID contracts through bribery for a decade.

The contract was for addressing “issues affecting the root causes of irregular migration from Central America to the United States” — the work that Biden assigned to Vice President Kamala Harris, but which she never appeared to address, a Daily Wire investigation found.

The Department of Justice announced that Walter Barnes III, the founder of government contractor Vistant (previously known as PM Consulting Group, or PMCG) and Roderick Watson, a USAID contracting official, pleaded guilty to a bribery scheme in which Barnes and two others conspired to pay Watson $1 million in exchange for $544 million in contracts. Click here to read more. Click here to read more.

 

Officers who cover their faces could be charged with misdemeanor under Calif. proposal

SAN FRANCISCO — Local, state, and federal law enforcement officers who cover their faces while conducting official business could face a misdemeanor charge in California under a new proposal announced Monday.

If approved, the bill would require all law enforcement officials to show their faces and be identifiable by their uniform, which should carry their name or other identifier. It would not apply to the National Guard or other troops and it would exempt SWAT teams and officers responding to natural disasters.

State Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat representing San Francisco, and State Sen. Jesse Arreguin, a Democrat representing Berkeley and Oakland, said the proposal seeks to boost transparency and public trust in law enforcement. It also looks to protect against people trying to impersonate law enforcement, they said. Click here to read more.

Subscribe now

Read full Article
See More
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals