U.S. Rep. Peters calls on Michigan GOP to not play politics with Electoral College

Press Release

Today U.S. Rep. Gary Peters urged Michigan's GOP-controlled State House and State Senate, as well as Governor Rick Snyder, to not play politics with the Electoral College. As was reported by Gongwer this afternoon, Republican House Speaker Jase Bolger is "strongly considering" a plan to reapportion Michigan's electoral votes to benefit Republicans. In the 2012 election, President Obama won a majority of the vote in Michigan, but if this plan had been in place, he would have received a minority of the electoral votes.

Despite Democrats having won the Congressional vote statewide by 52.7% to 47.3%, the Republican controlled State government gerrymandered the Congressional Districts to produce a 9-5 Congressional delegation majority for the Republicans. Basing the distribution of electoral votes on this already flawed map will render Michigan a non-competitive state which will ultimately be ignored by Presidential candidates in both parties.

By openly flirting with what amounts to rigging the next Presidential election by diluting the votes of minority and urban voters, Republicans are putting the sanctity of our democracy at risk.

"Governor Snyder, Speaker Bolger and national Republicans want to rig the next Presidential election because they can't win otherwise," said U.S. Rep. Gary Peters. "If these undemocratic rules had been in place during the last election, President Obama would have received a minority of the electoral votes despite winning a strong majority of the popular vote in Michigan. Let me be clear, this proposal is designed specifically to dilute the influence of minority and urban voters and nullify their voice in the next Presidential election. Instead of focusing their efforts on ways to rig elections to win with a gerrymandered minority, Republicans should spend their time working to earn a majority of voters. All Michiganders deserve to have their votes counted equally and we will never accept this kind of naked power grab. At this point, I wouldn't put anything past Governor Snyder, but I hope that he listens to his conscience and doesn't go along with this obvious attempt to undermine our democracy."

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