Clara Hendrickson,Nushrat Rahman|Detroit Free Press
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Presidential elections are won and lost in the Electoral College. Composed of 538 electors from 50 states and the District of Columbia, the institution set up by America's Founding Fathers convenes after the general election to cast its votes for the next president.
The Michigan Democratic Party and Michigan Republican Party have each nominated their slate of 16 electors. Each slate of electors is made up of 14 individuals who each represent one of the state's 14 congressional districts and two at large electors.
If Joe Biden wins more votes than Donald Trump in Michigan, the slate of electors nominated by the Democratic Party will cast the state's electoral votes. If Donald Trump wins more votes than Joe Biden in Michigan, the slate of electors nominated by the Republican Party will cast the state's electoral votes.
More: Michigan changed how it conducts election recounts. Here's how it would work this year
How electors are chosen in Michigan
In August, when the Democratic and Republicanparties held their conventions to officially nominate Biden and Trump as presidential candidates, they also nominated their electors. These individuals tend to be party activists.
Michigan law prohibits "faithless electors," meaning that electors nominated by the state's political party must cast their vote for their party's presidential candidate. Michigan's electors will meet December 14 to cast their votes. The meeting usually passes relatively unnoticed with the outcome of the election usually clear for over a month before the Electoral College convenes.
But this year, election-related litigation, efforts to sow doubt in the election outcome and recounts could bring greater attention to the institution and those who comprise it. In 2016, a few hundred people showed up at the Capitol on the day Michigan's electors convened to protest to vote.
The Electoral College was established by America's Founding Fathers who did not want a nationwide vote to determine the next president. There is a racial history to the Electoral College, too. During the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, the framers of the Constitution decided for the purposes of determining each state's political representation, slaves would count as three-fifths of a white person.
But today, the institution has come under increased scrutiny in recent years for producing presidents who did not win the popular vote. In 2000, George W. Bush won the presidency in the Electoral College despite losing the popular vote to his Democratic challenger Al Gore. And in 2016, Donald Trump secured more electoral votes than Hillary Clinton who won nearly three million more votes than Trump.
The Detroit Free Press reached out to the 32 individuals who have been nominated to serve as electors. Most responded, providing information about themselves, why they support their party's presidential nominee and whether they think the Electoral College should be abolished.
Electors nominated by Michigan Dems
Chris Cracchiolo – 1st District
Age: 67
Occupation: Director of business development for J. Allan Reynolds, a staffing company based out of metro Detroit
Lives in: Williamsburg
If Biden wins Michigan, Chris Cracchiolo would be excited to cast one of Michigan's 16 Electoral College votes for the first time. An avid golfer and lifelong Democrat, Cracchiolo grew up in St. Clair Shores. His father was a bus driver in Detroit and proud union member. Cracchiolo first became interested in politics as a child when he remembers watching the 1964 conventions. When he moved to northern Michigan after living in metro Detroit for 30 years, Cracchiolo became involved with his local Democratic Party. He currently serves as the chair for the Grand Traverse Democrats and as a vice chair for the Michigan Democratic Party. Cracchiolo has worked hard to increase the party's presence in northern Michigan. "For so many years, northern Michigan was ignored." There's a perception many hold that there are no Democrats who live live north of Lansing, Cracchiolo says. "We're trying to make that a fallacy."
Why do you think Joe Biden is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "International integrity... Over the last three and half years, we've lost so much of that with our former allies in Europe and elsewhere around the world. Therefore, I think it's for our own national security. I think Joe Biden can bring us back to a point of normalcy."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "I could probably go either way on it, but I think I prefer the Electoral College. It was put in place for a reason, and the fact that in 2016 it did not work out well for us, who knows? The same thing could reverse. In time all things even out. I'm not fearful of the Electoral College, and I don't think I would waste time in abolishing it. There's a lot of other problems we have in this country."
Tim Smith – 2nd District
Age: 60
Occupation: UniServ Director with the Michigan Education Association
Lives in: Grand Haven
Timothy E. Smith is an army veteran and self-described "diehard Democrat." From Detroit originally, Smith lived in Wisconsin for 14 years before returning to Michigan to work as a union representative for the Michigan Education Association. Smith first became involved with the Democratic Party in 2012 when he campaigned for a ballot proposal that would have enshrined collective bargaining rights in the state's constitution. He is currently serving his second term as the 2nd District chair for the Michigan Democratic Party. Smith is concerned where the country is heading and is especially alarmed by the coronavirus pandemic, racial tension and police insensitivity to people of color. Smith is a professional photographer and enjoys playing video games.
Why do you think Joe Biden is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "This election itself is to save the soul of America. I'm an army vet and I fought for this country, and I just see that the direction it's heading is pretty alarming. ... With the right leadership out of the White House and, if possible, the Senate, we can start doing some things that help the everyday people, not just the 1% and the corporate folks in our country."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "If you look at the historical message that goes with the Electoral College, I would be in favor of not having it anymore, you know the whole three-fifths of a man, that kind of stuff, the South and to appease them back in the day that's when the Electoral College was created. ... If I had three million more votes than you, there's no way I should lose."
Blake Mazurek – 3rd District
Age: 52
Occupation: U.S. history middle school teacher
Lives in: Grand Rapids
Blake Mazurek is a public school history teacher in Grand Rapids. "My passion for history and educating our young women and men of Michigan propels me forward each and every day," he wrote in an email to the Detroit Free Press. Mazurek serves as president of the Grandville Education Association, the local Michigan Education Association, and as chair of the Kent County Education Employees PAC. He is also actively involved in the Kent County Democratic Party. "I am deeply honored to serve as an elector for Joe Biden should he win Michigan," Mazurek wrote.
Why do you think Joe Biden is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "Our country is at a crossroads, we face serious questions about who we are and what we want to be. Many people, including myself, believe we are better than what we’ve endured for the past four years. I believe that Joe Biden embodies the hope, vision and the promise of what America can be. His election to the presidency will bring us back from the edge of disaster. Donald Trump has dredged up the worst aspects of our nation’s character and given them life."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "Twice in my lifetime, in 2000 and 2016, the candidate who received a majority of our nation’s citizen vote, lost the presidency. Should we have a system that ignores the will of the people? The president serves the entire nation, not individual states. It is truly a national seat. I have heard it said that if we eliminate the Electoral College, candidates will 'ignore' the 'small' (population) states, but I ask:How often has any presidential candidate actively campaigned in the state of Wyoming in the past 50+ years? Are they not already being ignored? How about a state like California? Are Republican voters in the Golden State feeling their vote does not 'count' because it almost always votes Democratic in recent decades? Shifting away from a winner takes all Electoral College to a system that better represents ALL voters should be our goal."
Bonnie J Lauria – 4th District
Age: 79
Occupation: Retired
Lives in: West Branch
Bonnie J Lauria is a former GM employee and UAW representative. Lauria has served as a Democratic Party delegate several times, but this could be her first time casting a vote in the Electoral College. Lauria was a plaintiff in a 2005 class action lawsuit against GM filed by the company's retirees after GM changed its retiree benefits. The lawsuit was settled in 2008. Without the lawsuit, "there was a good chance at that point that GM might have cut off the retirees completely," Lauria said. "It was my honor to help the retirees at that time."
Why do you think Joe Biden is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "I've been waiting to do this for four years. Trump has been so down on the United States that he has to go. I don't even know where to start. He doesn't take responsibility for anything. COVID really put the candles on the cake... He's letting people die off."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "I do even though I have been selected as an elector. I really in my heart believe that it should be but it isn't, so someone has to be there. ... I believe this could be the last time that there will be an Electoral College. Sometime in the near future, I think it's going to be abolished."
Bobbie Walton – 5th District
Age: 83
Occupation: Retired
Lives in: Davison
In her memorabilia collection, Bobbie Walton says she has a photo of herself with Hillary Clinton taken many years ago from a fundraiser for a member of Congress from Maryland. She was excited to learn that like her, Clinton, hadbeen nominated to serve as a Democratic elector. Walton says she has been involved in politics her whole life. She lived in Maryland for many years working in federal and local government. At age 60, she worked with the youth division of the local county police department in Maryland through Americorps, making her the oldest Americorps member in the country, she says. After moving to Michigan, Walton ran for public office. In 2014, she ran for a Michigan Senate seat and lost to incumbent Republican Dave Robertson. In 2018, she ran and lost a bid to represent her district on the Genessee County Commission. She currently serves as the co-chair of the election committee for the Genesee County Democratic Party. "I believe that no matter how the election turns out, I will find some way to be more involved in working in my community," she said. After the election, she hopes to develop a curriculum for a class on governing, policy, budgeting, campaign finance and lobbying. "If people know more about how things can work, they may have a better relationship with their government and know how to make it work for them," she said.
Why do you think Joe Biden is the right choice for the country and Michigan?"He has a very strong, I want to say, steely integrity. He is very integrated as a person but also integrated with what our communities need and how government can provide it. I think he has a very strong sense about being a team player. One of the things I have criticized about Trump is that he is not a team player."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "I recognize that it doesn't seem to be fair when we wind up with an overwhelming popular vote and then somebody manages to win the election through the electoral vote. ... But it's a system that mostly works well. There's only been a few times when it hasn't worked well, and I think that for the people who live in the parts of the country where there's not a heavy population of people who are going to be more active in voting, more active in working with government and caring about what government does, they need representation too. ... It's all about balance."
Mark E. Miller – 6th District
Age: 64
Occupation: Kalamazoo Township clerk
Lives in: Kalamazoo Township
Mark E. Miller, the former chair of the Michigan Democratic Party's 6th District committee, serves as Kalamazoo Township's clerk, a position he has held for the past four years. He's still involved with his local Democratic Party as a trustee for the Kalamazoo County Democratic Party. Miller did not support Biden during the Democratic primary. A self-described climate activist, Miller backed Jay Inslee instead and then supported Elizabeth Warren after Inslee dropped out. Miller is an amateur astronomer who enjoys "relaxing by looking at galaxies."
Why do you think Joe Biden is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "Our current president is one of the worst presidents in American history... he clearly has done great damage to our government, our standing in the world and in every way has neglected his duty and used his office as a means of enriching himself... Joe Biden, to be honest, was not my first choice... but he is extremely well-qualified and certainly has the requisite character to serve as a president who will heal and reunite our nation after this experience of the last four years."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "I do support that. Our founders got a lot right and our Constitution is the oldest written constitution still enforced in the world and it was almost a miracle they were able to find a system that would work so well for so long. However, it's time to update some of these anachronistic features and this is one of them."
Connor Wood – 7th District
Connor Wood is the chair of the Jackson County Democratic Party. He did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.
Robin Smith – 8th District
Age: 57
Occupation: Librarian with the Lansing School District
Lives in: Lansing
Robin Smith has a long history of being involved in politics. Today she serves as an officer-at-large for the Michigan Democratic Party and holds leadership positions in the 8th District Democratic Party andIngham County Democratic Party. She also served as a trustee for Lansing Community College for two terms and served as chair of the Association of Community College Trustees, a national non-nonprofit made up of community college leaders. During her time as chair, she says Jill Biden spoke during a conference held by the association. "I love the fact that Dr. Jill Biden is a champion for community colleges," Smith said. Smith says she has a photo of herself with Biden and another photo with Joe Biden when he visited Lansing Community College. She says she was proud to attend the Democratic primary debate that was held in Detroit in July 2019. "After Trump was elected, I said to myself, 'I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that we are not in the same place," she told the Detroit Free Press. "To be a Black female and be able to cast my vote, I'm super excited."
Why do you think Joe Biden is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "I think that he has the right temperament. He's shown that he has compassion but he also has a plan. ... He has a plan for COVID and knows that we can't take care of the economy without taking care of COVID. I think that Joe's the one who's able to do that and bring the nation together."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "I'm not so much in favor of getting rid of the Electoral College. I think that what we may want to look at is to see whether the numbers are still right in terms of our population."
Walt Herzig – 9th District
Age: 50
Occupation: District director for U.S. Rep. Andy Levin, D-Bloomfield Township
Lives in: Ferndale
Walt Herzig's involvement in American politics spans decades. Early in his career, he worked as a special assistant and scheduler for Michigan Sen. Carl Levin. He went on to work for the Michigan Democratic Party, served as chief of staff for Lt. Governor John D. Cherry, state director for the 2010 Census in Michigan and district director for Rep. Sandy Levin, taking a brief hiatus to direct Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign in Michigan. Today, he works as the district director for Rep. Andy Levin, D-Bloomfield. "I'm a real politics, government and history nerd," he wrote in an email to the Detroit Free Press. "Even after more than 25 years of working for a number of incredible federal and state elected officials in Michigan, I can hardly believe I have the chance to do this work day in and day out."
Why do you think Joe Biden is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "Joe Biden will bring the steady and serious leadership the times demand, a willingness to bring bold solutions to bear to meet our greatest challenges, the experience to restore America's standing in the world (especially with our allies), and the strength of character to return fundamental decency to the Oval Office."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "I do, and I know that might sound strange!But I believe that the American people should be able todirectlyelect their president, so I believe that the candidate who receives the most votes in the election should be elected president. Having said that, the constitutional role of the Electoral College is still in place today, and I'm just honored that I might play a small role in American history by casting one of 538 electoral votes this year."
Carolyn Holley – 10th District
Age: 81
Occupation: Retired
Lives in: Port Huron
Carolyn Holley grew up in a Republican household. "My dad always told me I should vote for the person and if I wasn't sure, vote for the party," she said. "Because of that, the first time I voted for Nixon, and I've been trying to make up for it ever since." Holley worked at AT&T in Detroit for 25 years. After retiring from her job as a finance manager, she became more involved with her county Democratic Party. In 2018, she was elected as treasurer for the St. Clair County Democratic Party. On Election Day, Holley worked as an election challenger.
Why do you think Joe Biden is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "He has experience. He cares about people. That's what we've been missing for four years. ... Trump is only interested in what will further himself. I just think that Biden has such a good background and he's for all the things I am: health care and public education and the environment."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "I support that. I think that the Electoral College when it was set up there was a reason for it because of the way the population was in the United States and they tried to make everything even. It's no longer like that. It's usually the person who wins the popular vote who doesn't get elected."
Susan Nichols – 11th District
Age: 63
Occupation: Legal assistant
Lives in: Northville
Susan Nichols saw George McGovern speak at a UAW hall with her mom when she was a teenager. That's when she became a Democrat, Nichols said. But it wasn't until Barack Obama ran in 2008 that Nichols became a Democratic Party activist. "I would say Obama really inspired me to invest more time in being active in politics," she said. The weekend before the 2008 election, about 400 people stopped by Nichols' home to pick up clipboards as part of a get out the vote drive. She served as a delegate for Hillary Clinton during the Democratic Party's 2016 convention. She is the membership chair for the Northville Democratic Club. She says most of her neighbors are Republican, but unlike in 2016 when Nichols says her lawn was the only one with a sign for Hillary Clinton,she says she was not the only person in her neighborhood with a Bidensign his time.Nichols worked as a poll watcher this election.
Why do you think Joe Biden is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "I think the division in the nation the past four years has been very troubling. I see Kamala and Joe as bringing the nation together and going back to normality."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "It should be abolished. If not abolished, it should be representative of the vote in the particular state. For instance, in California, if you're a Republican, your vote is not going to matter because overwhelmingly it's a Democratic state."
Steven Rzeppa – 12th District
Age: 28
Lives in: Trenton
Occupation: Political and communications director for AFSCME Council 25 and mayor of Trenton
Steven Rzeppa was elected to the Trenton City Council in 2013, at the age of 21, according to the City of Trenton's website. He was sworn in as mayor in 2019, according to the site. In addition to his role as mayor, Rzeppa is the political and communications director for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 25, a labor union that representsmore than50,000 public sector workers in Michigan. Rzeppa serves as the chair for the 12th District Democratic Party.
He did not respond to follow-up requests seeking additional information.
Helen Moore – 13th District
Age: 84
Occupation: Retired
Lives in: Detroit
Helen Moore moved to Detroit from Tennessee when she was three. While raising her four children in the city, Moore became an education activist. In 1971, she helped organize Black Parents for Quality Education. More recently, she supported a lawsuit brought against former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder by Detroit schoolchildren claiming the state had failed to to provide access to literacy. A federal court ruled that Detroit school children were denied their constitutional right to a basic minimum education. She has served as a Democratic precinct delegate for years but if Biden wins, it would be her first time serving as an elector. Ahead of the election, Moore mobilized seniors in Detroit to vote.
Why do you think Joe Biden is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "He seems to have his brain together and he seems to be sane. The other candidate I worry about mental ability. Biden seems to care about other people while Trump seems to be putting people in terrible positions with the virus and all that."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "I think that it's unnecessary, but I will do my duty as an elector."
Michael Kerwin – 14th District
Age: 96
Occupation: Retired
Lives in: Detroit
Michael Kerwin, a retired UAW international representative and Local 174 member, is serving as an elector for the first time. He’s an active member of the Michigan Labor History Society. Kerwin, who grew up in the Chicago area, came to Michigan in 1950 and worked in the auto industry for three years. “I stood at the end of the assembly line and we made metal seat frames,” he said. Soon after, Kerwin got a job at the UAW – in a department informing members about collective bargaining, grievance procedures and labor history – until his retirement. Kerwin also spent 8 years as deputy city clerk for the city of Detroit, under Mayor Coleman Young. “I hope Biden would be elected president. The country has got problems and will probably have problems as long as there is a country. Right now we’re suffering from the pandemic,” he said.
Why do you think Joe Biden is the right choice for the country and Michigan? “I think Trump is a bad president. … From what I’ve seen and heard of [Joe Biden], he stands for the Democratic program. He stands for fair treatment for working people and he’s pro-union.”
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? “No. Any system you set up is going to have a defect in it and that’s minor.”
Marseille Allen – At Large
Age: 41
Occupation: Lead probation officer for the Michigan Department of Corrections
Lives in: Flint Township
After graduating from Wellesley College in Massachusetts, Marseille Allen worked for Sen. Ted Kennedy in Washington. Allen had a brief stint working as a Republican consultant beginning in 2010, but switched party affiliations back to the Democratic Party in 2012. Still, she would like to see a shift in the Democratic Party. "The Democrats are a bunch of elitists," she says. For years, she has worked as a community advocate in Flint, assisting those impacted by the city's water crisis. She was excited to support the Biden-Harris ticket. She supports Biden's platform and record, even his support for the 1986 crime bill. "Black leadership was actually begging for something to be done so it wasn't as if this random white man in the Senate decided to lock up everybody," Allen said. She also admires Harris' record as a prosecutor. "As a probation officer, I know the work that Senator Harris has done in the past in the court. I respect it," she said. In her spare time she likes to ride horses.
Why do you think Joe Biden is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "He cares about labor, he cares about the auto industry... I think as a white male picking a Black female as his vice president he also recognizes a need for how this country's leadership looks. And that, to me, made him even more of an attractive candidate because we are in the middle of a national reckoning and I think that he, in making that decision... he has recognized the role particularly of Black women in this country."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "I agree that the Electoral College needs to be abolished. One person, one vote, that is a real democracy."
Chuck Browning – At Large
Born and raised in Michigan, Chuck Browning is the director of UAW Region 1A, which includes most of Wayne County as well as Monroe and Washtenaw counties. According to his bio on the UAW's website, Browning joined the the UAW in 1987 when he worked at the Mazda Plant in Flat Rock and went on to hold various positions in the union.
Browning did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.
More: Federal election lawsuits have already set a recent record. A look at 2020 in the courts.
Electors nominated by Michigan GOP
John Haggard – 1st District
Age: 79
Occupation: Owner of Haggard's Plumbing and Heating
Lives in: Charlevoix
John Haggard is a proud Charlevoix native. After being stationed in Oakland, California,and serving two tours in Saigon during the Vietnam War, Haggard moved back to Michigan. He worked for Ford for three and a half years, and moved to Charlevoix where he and his brother started a plumbing and heating business in 1971. "I've been very politically involved my whole life," he said. In 1964, Haggard handed out brochures for Barry Goldwater, and in 2016, he served as a Republican elector. "It was very exciting," he said. But if Trump is re-elected, Haggard hopes he doesn't see the same volume of letters and emails urging him not to support Trump. He estimates he received 40,000 letters and 30,000 emails. Haggard, an avid hunter, enjoys bear hunting in the Upper Peninsula.
Why do you think Donald Trump is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "Because of the economy. ... The economy really turned around when Donald got elected."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "Why do we want to give California and New York the ability to make the decision for the other 48 states?"
Kent Venderwood – 2nd District
Kent Venderwood is the chair for the 2nd District Republican Party. He declined our request for an interivew.
Terri Lynn Land – 3rd District
Terri Lynn Land served as Michigan's Secretary of State from 2003 to 2011. Land lost her 2014 Senate bid to Sen. Gary Peters, who defeated her by a wide margin. That year, the Michigan Democratic Party filed a complaint against Land with the Federal Elections Commission, claiming Land and her husband's contributions to her campaign violated federal limits. In 2018, Land and her husband settled with the FEC, agreeing to pay a $66,000 fine. This election, she is running as a candidate for the Wayne State University Board of Governors. Land currently serves as the chair for the 3rd District Republican Party. Land– along with former Secretary of State Ruth Johnson and Marian Sheridan,Republican elector for Michigan's 11th District– filed a preliminary injunction asking the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan to prohibit counting ballots that arrive after 8 p.m. on Election Day. The Michigan Court of Appeals reversed a lower court's ruling, upholding the 8 p.m. Election Day deadline in a separate case. Land did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.
Gerald Wall – 4th District
Age: 83
Occupation: Retired
Lives in: Roscommon
Gerald Wall was born in Royal Oak and grew up in Taylor. He was drafted into the army in 1961 and was stationed at Fort Knox, Tennessee.He worked for GM at the Willow Run plant in Ypsilanti before retiring. Today he serves as chair of the Roscommon County Republican Party, a position he has held for more than20 years. This election he said he gave out roughly 600 Trump signs to members of his community. A longtime Republican, he has been a national delegate to the Republican presidential convention four times. "I am pro-life. I am pro-gun. I am for the American family. I am for the work ethic, not handouts," Wall said.
Why do you think Donald Trump is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "Four years of greatness and I would like to see it happen again. People working, everybody working. It's the American Dream."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "No. Our forefathers had it right."
Amy Faccinello – 5th District
Age: 52
Occupation: Office manager at the Genesse County Republican Party
Lives in: Grand Blanc
Amy Faccinello was not involved much in politics until a couple of years ago. That's when she saw the promises Trump made during the 2016 election begin to take shape. "I heard what he said he was going to do and I started seeing it all get put into action, and I was like totally on board with it," she says. "Before I used to think the parties were just two sides to the same coin, but he convinced me that they're not the same option." Faccinello believes Trump has remade the Republican Party into a party that looks out for working class people. "This party is now the party of the everyday American, and he is out there fighting every day for us and draining the swamp," she says. In 2018, she became a precinct delegate and joined the executive board of the Genesse County Republican Party. This election she is running to serve on the the Grand Blanc school district board.
Why do you think Donald Trump is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "He loves the United States of America and he loves all the citizens. ... His foreign policy has been great, getting us out of all these wars and generating peace in the Middle East. ... He really knows how to get the economy humming. What do people want? They want jobs and they want to keep their money because they've got to take care of their families."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "The Electoral College is the thread that holds the entire nation together. With the Electoral College it makes it so even the smaller states have a voice. If you got rid of the Electoral College, then everything would be decided by a small geographical area. And so what would be the incentive to stay in the union? There wouldn't be one, so then the union would break up because each state could just become it's own independent nation."
Rose Rook – 6th District
Age: 76
Occupation: Retired realtor
Lives in: Paw Paw
Rose Rook used to be a Democrat but she left the party because she says the party left her values. "They went too far to the left," she said. Her involvement with the Republican Party began four years ago. She is the former Van Buren County GOP chair and today serves on the executive committee of the county party and as president of the Van Buren County Republican Women's Club. "It's just a great honor," she says, regarding the prospect of casting one of Michigan's Electoral College votes. She says she is inspired to improve the lives of others through political change. "I would like to leave this a better world than when I came and help people have the same opportunities that I've had."
Why do you think Donald Trump is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "He's done everything he said he was going to. ... Peace in the Middle East, for one. He's fought hard for that. He fought for our freedom and freedom of speech. He's the law and order president and I'm very impressed with that."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "I do not think that's a good idea. The founders were very fair and when they set that up, they set it up to be fair. If there were no Electoral College, California and New York would make all the decisions and none of the people in the middle would have any say in it."
Hank Choate – 7th District
Age: 70
Occupation: Farmer
Lives in: Liberty Township
Hank Choate is a dairy farmer who sits on the board of directors for the Michigan Milk Producers Association. Choate's farm, owned by his family for nearly 200 years, also sells corn, soybeans and wheat. In April 2017, he was one of 14 farmers from across the country who met with Trump at the White House to discuss agricultural issues. Choate served on the board of the Columbia School District from 1990 to 1998 but did not become involved in Republican Party politics until 2010. "I was seeing my grandchildren were not going to have anywhere near the opportunities for what they wanted to do as young adults as I did back in the late '60s and early '70s," Choate said. "In 2010, I made the decision that I wanted to be involved, engaged and try to regain back the opportunities that weren't there." Choate went on to serve as chair of the Jackson County Republican Party for four years and currently serves as chair of the party's 7th District.
Why do you think Donald Trump is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "I think Donald Trump gives the citizenry of the U.S. and, most importantly, the youth opportunities."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "I think that it was set up to make certain that you didn't have densely populated areas being the main driving force of the election, and that's the fear that I've got. ... That's where the focus would be by the candidates, and so I have to believe if that were to take place, those of us out in rural America would become even less than flyover country."
Mari-Ann Henry – 8th District
Mari-Ann Henry is involved with the Greater Oakland Republican Club. She declined a request for an interview.
Clifford Frost – 9th District
Age: 73
Occupation: Realtor
Lives in: Warren
Clifford Frost says he has beenworking hard for Trump's re-election. If successful, Frost is excited to cast one of Michigan's Electoral College votes. "It's a privilege that I look forward to," he said. Frost is a member of the Michigan Republican Party State Committee and board member for the Macomb County GOP. Frost ran for office in the August 2020 primary, vying to represent Michigan’s 28th District in the Michigan House of Representatives. He lost the primary election to Stephen Colegio. During the primary, he observed Detroit's absent voter ballot counting boards at TCF Center as a poll challenger.
Why do you think Donald Trump is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "He has delivered on the economy, on immigration, on so many things. I don't have the time to tell you all of them."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "Then California and New York would elect the president. That's patently absurd."
Stanley Grot – 10th District
Age: 69
Occupation: Shelby Township clerk
Lives in: Shelby Township
Stanley Grot is the Shelby Township clerk. He previously served as a Sterling Heights city council member and Macomb County commissioner. In 2018, he launched a bid to serve as Michigan Secretary of State but withdrew from the race because he felt he didn’t have a good chance of winning, Grot said. Today, Grot chairs the 10th District Republican Party. In the 1980s, he ran Polonia, a family restaurant in Hamtramck, for about seven years. Grot, interviewed Monday, saidhe was100% prepared for Election Day Tuesday. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said before Election Day she expectedat least 3 million absentee ballots to be in the state. “It's a huge turnout. I hope the clerks are prepared for it. You just have to do your homework prior to knowing what's coming at you,” Grot said, adding “The voters should know that in Shelby Township, we run fair, honest and transparent elections.”
Why do you think Donald Trump is the right choice for the country and Michigan? “I think Donald Trump is a great president. He kept all the promises he made and he made a lot of promises. He eliminated a lot of regulations, a lot of red tape, improved [the] economy, eliminated job killing NAFTA. … The economy was doing great until we got hit with the coronavirus. I think he's the guy that can bring us back, he's the guy that can build up the economy back where it used to be, once we get out of this COVID virus.”
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? “Absolutely not. I don't think so because then the big states like Texas, California and New York would basically dictate who's going to be our president and the little states wouldn't have anything to say. This way, it's proportionally by congressional districts and presidents have to campaign in all the states in the United States, not just four or five that are mostly populated. That would be totally unfair to other states.”
Marian Sheridan – 11th District
Age: 66
Occupation: Retired
Lives in: West Bloomfield
Marian Sheridan is a conservative activist and Republican leader. She is the director of the Lakes Area Tea Party and co-founder of the Michigan Conservative Coalition. She serves on the executive board of the Oakland County Republican Party and as grassroots vice chair for the Michigan Republican Party. Motivated by what she calls "the takeover of our health care system" during the Obama administration, she first became involved with the Republican Party in 2009. This year, she trained hundreds of poll challengers. She has been pleased to see so many Americans sign up to serve as poll workers, challengers and watchers. "It's really a great thing that we have so many Americans that are so interested in the election process," she says. She joined former Secretaries of State Ruth Johnson and Terri Lynn Land as a plaintiff in a lawsuit to uphold the state's 8 p.m. Election Day deadline for returning absentee ballots. The Michigan Court of Appeals sided with the Republican-led Legislature upholding the 8 p.m. deadline in a separate case. Sheridan worried that extending the deadline past Election Day would have delayed recounts and drawn out legal battles following the election, leaving the final results contested before the Electoral College meets.
Why do you think Donald Trump is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "There are just so many things that he's accomplished that so little attention is given to. ... We've had previous presidents from both parties promise that they were going to move the embassy to Jerusalem and no one was able to get that done. However, he has done that. ... The Middle East is much calmer than it has been. ... My own children benefited very much from the tax law. ... We saw low unemployment before COVID."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "I honestly can't answer that yet. ... I just haven't gathered enough information to have an opinion on that. It seems to me you would have very large states like California dictate how people in the Midwest are going to be governed. That sticks with me although I have not ruled out looking into popular vote."
Timothy King – 12th District
Age: 53
Occupation: Retired
Lives in: Ypsilanti
Timothy King is a retired tool and die UAW auto worker born and raised in Ypsilanti. King says he is related to Elbridge Gerry, who signed the Declaration of Independence and served as vice president under James Madison, through his mother's side of the family and claims he is related to George Washington on his father's side of the family. "My family has served this nation since the beginning," King said. During World War II, King says his great uncle was superintendent of the Willow Run bomber plant constructed by Ford Motor Company to mass produce B-24 Liberator airplanes for the war and said his grandmother worked at the plant.He believes the 2020 election will be historic. "I think this election is the most important one we've had since the 1864 election of President Lincoln because we had a divided nation and right now we're divided," King said. King sits on the executive committee of the Washtenaw County Republican Party and sits on the 12th District Republican Committee. King is running for a seat on the Washtenaw County Commission this election.
Why do you think Donald Trump is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "He follows the Constitution word for word. ... I believe President Trump is the best thing for our nation."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "If you abolish the Electoral College, then California would rule the nation and New York. ... Then in smaller states like Rhode Island and New Hampshire and Massachusetts... people would lose their rights. I mean it's one person, one vote."
Michele Lundgren – 13th District
Age: 70
Occupation: Photographer
Lives in: Detroit
Born and raised in Detroit, Michele Lundgren says she first became interested in pursuing political leadership because she did not want Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, to be re-elected to Congress. Lundgren considered running against Tlaib but decided to run as a delegate instead. She was elected in August to serve as the Republican delegate for her precinct to the county convention for Detroit. She supports Trump's policies on immigration. "I'm not a big fan of open borders," Lundgren said. She also highlighted the economy's performance under Trump. "Prior to the COVID sabotage, we were doing extraordinarily well," she said.
Why do you think Donald Trump is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "He is honest. He's vocal. I believe he can be trusted, and I believe he has held his head above water as he's had to tread through this island of despair. I think that anybody who was put up against such a horrific fight for the last four years and still has rose above it, I think he's worthy of being president for another four years."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "I don't believe in eliminating the Electoral College... Electoral Colleges kind of maintain the integrity of the election so you can win a state with Electoral Colleges and not the popular vote. I feel it's unbiased. I feel it's pretty fair. Win the state because of the Electoral College."
Mayra Rodriguez – 14th District
The 14th District Republican Committee website lists Mayra Rodriguez as the Grosse Pointe Farms chair. She did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.
Kathy Berden – At Large
Age: 67
Occupation: Organic farmer
Lives in: Snover
Kathy Berden owns an organic farm and processing facility with her husband, who is a fifth-generation farmer. They grow a variety of beans, corn and wheat. Interviewed before the election, she said, “I'm just hoping to cast my vote for Donald Trump. ... I think all of us are anxious to do the re-election and get our president in for another 4 years.” Berden said she feels this election is a “choice between freedom and socialism.” She was elected as the Michigan Republican National Committeewoman in 2015. She previously served as the state committee member from the 10th District and was part of the Michigan delegation to the Republican National Convention three times. Berden said there are Trump supporters who will cast their ballot in “droves” on Election Day.
Why do you think Donald Trump is the right choice for the country and Michigan? “I just think he's done a wonderful jobin his position as president. Just like his motto says: promises made, promises kept. He's defending the country, he's sticking up for the workers. He's putting good America first, which I really like. He's protecting our borders and I just really like everything that he is following through.”
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? “The framers of our constitution created that a long time ago, and it was an alternative to the popular vote and the reason they did that is because we wouldn't be represented in the popular vote in the middle of the countrybecause we're so sparsely populated. That's why this became an issue that would represent all people equally, not just the big city urban areas.”
Meshawn Maddock – At Large
Age: 53
Occupation: Co-owner A1 Bail Bonds
Lives in: Milford
Meshawn Maddock serves on the national advisory board of Women for Trump and as chair for the 11th Congressional District Republican Committee. She suspects Trump will win Michigan by a wide margin and will go on to win not only the Electoral College but the popular vote as well. "It's incredible how inaccurate the polls are," she says. "They're all going to be wrong." But she worries about the potential for fraud in the election process. "To me the real question is whether we can trust the vote counts," she says. Maddock says she first became interested in politics through discussions with her husband,Matt Maddock, who represents Michigan's 44th House District in the Legislature. But she says she became more politically active as a mother because she felt the public education her children received was left-leaning. She calls herself a "Trump original" who has supported the president since his 2015 candidacy. "I was loading the dishwasher, I was watching him in one of his very first interviews after he announced that he was running. ... He said, 'I'm a businessman, and when I don't know something, I hire the smartest people who know what I need to know,'" she recalls. "That stopped me cold and I was like, 'this is my guy,'" she said. Her support for Trump is now personal this election, she explained. She and her husband own a bail bonds agency. "Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are literally campaigning on eliminating my industry," she says. Trump would protect her business, Maddock said.
Why do you think Donald Trump is the right choice for the country and Michigan? "He has accomplished more than he even promised to do. I mean I could just go on and on with his accomplishments, and I want another four years of that. I want another four years of cheap gas and lower taxes and less regulation."
Do you think the Electoral College should be abolished? "I think the role of electors is very important and I take the role very seriously. ... An elector, to me, is the person who's responsible to make sure our republic survives the pandemic of mental illness that's progressivism."
Clara Hendrickson fact-checks Michigan issues and politics as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Contact herat chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743 for comments or to suggest a fact-check.