LIVE DOWNTOWN DETROIT. LOCAL 4 NEWS AT 5 30 STARTS NOW. THEY’VE GONE FROM HAVING THE UTMOST
RESPECT OF THE COMMUNITY TO
HAVING A TARGET ON THEIR BACK.
SOME LOCAL CLERKS SAY THEY NEED
HELP TO STAY SAFE, BUT THE STATE
ISN’T DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
IN THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED THE
2020 ELECTION. HUNDREDS OF
THREATS WERE MADE TO THOSE WHO
RUN OUR ELECTIONS. OFTEN THEY
ARE OUR NEIGHBORS, MEMBERS OF
OUR COMMUNITY, AND SOME OF THEM
HAD THEIR LIVES THREATENED AND
HAVE CONTINUED TO ENDURE THREATS
FOR MORE THAN A YEAR AND A HALF
NOW ARE GRANT HERMES LOOKING
INTO THIS TODAY, NAMELY WHY THE
STATE OF MICHIGAN DIDN’T SPEND A
DOLLAR TO TRY AND PROTECT THOSE
CLERKS GRANT WELL, JASON PAM,
YOU KNOW, WE HEARD THE HARROWING
STORIES FROM ELECTION WORKERS
FROM GEORGIA IN THE JANUARY 6TH
COMMITTEE HEARINGS JUST A FEW
WEEKS AGO WITH THOSE SAME THINGS
ARE HAPPENING IN OUR BACKYARD
AND OUR CLERKS HERE IN MICHIGAN
ARE SAYING IT’S POLITICS IS
GETTING IN THE WAY OF THEIR
SAFETY. DURING THE 2020 ELECTION
. CANTON TOWNSHIP CLERK MICHAEL
CIGARETTES OFFICE COLLECTED MORE
THAN 57,000 BALLOTS SAFELY.
SECURELY. BUT ONCE THE COUNTING
WAS DONE THE THREATS BEGAN
COMING BY THE DOZENS. I RECEIVED
LOTS OF VEILED THREATS. NOBODY
NOBODY CALLED. NOBODY CALLED ME.
AND SAID, I’M GOING TO, YOU
KNOW, KILL YOUR FAMILY CALLS DID
HAPPEN FOR OTHER CLERKS IN
MICHIGAN, FORMER FARMINGTON
HILLS CLERK TINA BARTON,
RECEIVING A VOICEMAIL FILLED
WITH EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
THREATENING HER FAMILY. DETROIT
CLARK JANICE WINFREY WAS SENT
PHOTOS OF A DEAD BODY WITH A
MESSAGE TO IMAGINE THAT BODY AS
HER DAUGHTER AND SECRETARY OF
STATE JOCELYN BENSON, WAS
THREATENED BY ARMED PROTESTERS
OUTSIDE HER HOME AND TOLD NBC
NEWS THE FORMER PRESIDENT WANTED
HER EXECUTED CLAIM THAT TRUMP
DENIES. I WOULD SIT THERE LATE
AT NIGHT. A LOT OF TIMES HOLDING
MY SON WORRIED, WONDERING, YOU
KNOW. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN? UM IF
THESE PEOPLE ACTUALLY MAY DO SO
MUCH SO THAT CIGARETTES, BOUGHT
A GUN AND BEGAN TO WONDER ABOUT
WHO MAY BE LURKING AT THE END OF
THE STREET, I WOULD WALK MY
NEIGHBORHOOD AND LOOK AT THE
VEHICLES ON THE STREETS. TRY TO
GET AN IDEA OF ANYBODY. STALKING
MY HOUSE WAS FOLLOWING ME TO AND
FROM WORK EVENTUALLY WORK TO
FORTIFY HIS OFFICE, BRINGING IN
FEDERAL AGENCIES TO SEE JUST HOW
SAFE THINGS ACTUALLY WERE. THEY
LOOKED AT EVERYTHING THE
PLACEMENT OF CAMERAS. DOOR LOCKS
, ANTI REMY DEVICES AND PANIC
BUTTONS, INSTALLED BULLETPROOF
GLASS AND EVEN CHANGED WHERE THE
TRASH CANS HAD BEEN PLACED. IN
CASE SOMEONE LEFT A BOMB TO KILL
THOSE COUNTING VOTES. THAT’S
NUTS. THAT’S INSANE. BECAUSE
ARMED PROTESTERS SHOW UP AND I
DON’T KNOW IF IT’S SOMEBODY WHO
REALLY LIKES THE SECOND
AMENDMENT OVER SOMEBODY WHO
DECIDES I STOLE THE ELECTION AND
WANT TO PUT A BULLET IN MY HEAD,
AND STILL, SOME CLERKS LIKE
MADISON HEIGHTS CLERK SHELL
RODMAN ARE WORRIED EVEN AFTER
THE WORST THREATS OF 2020. THERE
MAY BE MORE TO COME. IT’S
STARTING TO GET RAMPED UP AGAIN.
I HAVEN’T RECEIVED ANYTHING
RECENTLY. SO HOPEFULLY THAT WILL
MAINTAIN MAINTAIN THAT WAY, BUT
I’M NOT OPTIMISTIC IN THE YEAR
AND A HALF SINCE THE 2020
ELECTIONS AFTER THREATS OF
VIOLENCE AND DEATH, THE STATE OF
MICHIGAN STILL HASN’T SET ASIDE
ANY MONEY TO SPECIFICALLY
PROTECT ELECTION WORKERS, MANY
OF WHOM ARE VOLUNTEERS AT THEIR
SCHOOLS. FIRE STATIONS AND
CHURCHES. SO WE WENT TO THE TOP
SECRETARY OF STATE, JOCELYN
BENSON, TO ASK WHY THE STATE
LEGISLATURE HAS ALLOCATED NO
FUNDING FOR SECURING OUR AND
PROTECTING THE SECURITY OF OUR
ELECTION WORKERS. AND IT’S TO ME
VERY FRUSTRATING TO HEAR PEOPLE
TALK ABOUT WANTING ELECTIONS TO
BE SECURE, WANTING TO PROTECT
THE INTEGRITY OF OUR ELECTIONS,
BUT THEN THEY’RE NOT WILLING TO
PUT MONEY BEHIND THOSE WORDS.
BENSON SAYS NEGOTIATIONS WITH
LAWMAKERS ARE ONGOING AREN’T
MOVING QUICKLY WHERE OUR TALKS
BETWEEN YOUR OFFICE YOU AND
LAWMAKERS TO GET MONEY TO HELP.
CLERKS AND ELECTION WORKERS. THE
TALKS AND FLOW THERE ARE THERE
ARE OFTEN TIMES VERY FRIENDLY
AND PRODUCTIVE. WHAT WE’RE NOT
SEEING IS RESULTS. WE’VE
ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 100
MILLION STATE IS ACTUALLY
GETTING IS JUST EIGHT MILLION IN
FEDERAL DOLLARS TO BE DOLED OUT
TO 1600 CLERKS ACROSS THE STATE.
THE 100 MILLION WOULD BE USED TO
UPGRADE ELECTION EQUIPMENT AND
TRAINED POLL WORKERS. BUT HOW
MUCH OF THE MONEY WOULD BE USED
IS UP TO INDIVIDUAL CLERKS. BUT
IN THE END, IT LEAVES MICHIGAN’S
CLERKS OUT TO DRY AND
POTENTIALLY IN DANGER. A
DIFFICULT REALIZATION, EVEN FOR
THOSE CRIST OPTIMIST. UM,
THERE’S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I
WON’T TACKLE. UM BUT EVERYTHING
IS POLITICAL NOW. NOW WE DID
REACH OUT TO THE CHAIRS, BOTH
THE STATE SENATE AND STATE HOUSE
ELECTIONS COMMITTEES. NEITHER OF
THEM RESPONDED TO US BACK TO YOU
, UM, WATERING ABOUT ALL THAT
MONEY THAT IS ACTUALLY THERE AND
I KNOW THEY’RE SPENDING IT ON
DIFFERENT THINGS. ARE YOU ABLE
TO GET A SENSE OF HOW MUCH IS
ACTUALLY BEING USED TO KEEP
ELECTION WORKERS SAFE? WELL
THAT’S THE THING HERE IS THAT
THE STATE HAS A $9 BILLION
SURPLUS PLUS BILLIONS MORE
LEFTOVER IN AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN
MONEY. SO IN ALL OF THAT, YOU’RE
TALKING ABOUT $100 MILLION,
WHICH IN THE END ISN’T EVEN THAT
MUCH MONEY. IT’S NOT A LOT OF
CLERK SAYING WHAT ARE WE WAITING
FOR? WITH JUST WEEKS AWAY FROM
THE AUGUST PRIMARY, JASON BACK