In Detroit, Grand Rapids and Lansing, religious leaders from many faiths gathered Tuesday to speak against what they described as efforts to intimidate and disenfranchise Michigan voters.
Speaking on the steps of the state Capitol building, Rev. Michael Young criticized the Trump administration’s actions leading up to this year’s midterm elections.
“We’re alarmed at the federal government’s attempts to interfere with election administration, efforts that suppress the vote, intimidate voters, limit access to the ballot box and shut eligible voters out of the process,” Young said.
The pastors are especially concerned about the U.S. Justice Department’s plans to send election observers to three Michigan cities to monitor the August primary.
Published reports indicate the monitors would be sent to Detroit, Lansing and East Lansing, communities with traditionally large Democratic voter turnout.
“Sending federal election observers to Michigan; they are not coming to protect the vote,” said Rev. Rudra Dundzila of Brighton. “They are coming to intimidate the voters and disrupt the vote.”
The religious leaders are also concerned about a proposed constitutional amendment that may appear on the November ballot in Michigan. The proposed amendment would require citizenship verification to vote in Michigan elections.
