With Election Day rapidly approaching, the fight for the soul of one of the country’s most contested battleground states is just starting to heat up. In Michigan, where Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is facing a tough general election challenge from Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon, residents will be voting on two leftist-backed ballot amendments that carry serious ramifications — and one grassroots group is standing up to make sure they don’t pass.
The amendments seek to overhaul the state’s election systems and codify unlimited access to abortion into Michigan’s constitution, with the latter amendment covertly including a right for transgender-identifying minors to undergo sterilization without parental consent.
Known as “Proposal 2,” the first of the two initiatives would essentially legalize Democrats’ election-takeover policies throughout the state. If passed, the amendment would allow for “state-funded ‘absentee ballot drop boxes’ and ‘postage for applications and ballots,’” as well as allowances for private “donations to fund elections,” such as the “Zuckbucks” that were used to alter operations in state and local government election offices during the 2020 contest. Moreover, Proposal 2 would also “provide voters with a ‘right’ to fill out a single absentee ballot application ‘to vote absentee in all [future] elections,’” which would “keep mass mail-in balloting, the least secure form of elections, in place after such measures caused a chaotic 2020 election.”
As part of the initiative, the state secretary of state would additionally be given unilateral authority in auditing election results, with a provision stating that no “officer or member of the governing body of a national, state, or local political party, and no political party precinct delegate” shall have “any role in the direction, supervision, or conduct of an election audit.”
Under Proposal 3, which leftists have deceptively dubbed the “Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative,” abortions in the state would be allowed with essentially no restrictions whatsoever, meaning that preborn babies as old as nine-months gestation could be killed in the womb if voters approve the amendment. In addition to not specifying an age limit for those receiving abortions, the initiative would also permit Democrats’ radical “trans the kids” agenda to become enshrined in the state constitution.
As The Federalist’s Senior Legal Correspondent Margot Cleveland reported, “The expansive and legalistically worded language of Prop 3, crafted by Planned Parenthood and left-wing backers … extends beyond abortion to create a constitutional right to several aspects of what transgender activists call ‘gender-affirming care,’ despite it being neither affirming nor caring.”
“In less than one month, if Proposal 3 passes, children will have a right under the Michigan constitution to walk into one of Planned Parenthood’s 12 so-called ‘gender affirming’ facilities in the state and, without parental knowledge or consent, obtain puberty blockers,” Cleveland wrote. “And with Planned Parenthood of Michigan promising ‘gender affirming’ care ‘via telehealth in the coming months,’ Michiganders’ kids won’t even need to leave their house to obtain these sterilizing drugs.”
Michiganders Take Action
In spite of leftist groups spending millions on ads to obfuscate the true nature of these proposals from voters, patriotic Michiganders aren’t throwing in the towel just yet. Known as Stand Up Michigan, the grassroots organization is launching a weeks-long bus tour, titled “Empowering Families and Protecting Children,” to inform voters about the radical elements of the two initiatives and encourage all Michiganders to get off the sidelines to defend their kids from the evils of leftism.
“This bus tour is an attempt to get information [out], to get signs out, to get … people [to] volunteer and be involved in texting campaigns … but most importantly, it is [about] activating people in each of these communities to be responsible,” Stand Up Michigan President Ron Armstrong told The Federalist in an interview. “[The people] are the solution. It isn’t going to come from government, and it isn’t going to come from Lansing or Washington.”
Armstrong emphasized that the proposals set to appear on the ballot this fall are just the latest examples of the left’s ongoing war against the “traditional family unit.” A failure to combat such open hostility will have disastrous consequences for America’s future generations, he noted.
“Yes, it’s our freedoms and liberties. But if we don’t protect … our children and our Constitution and these freedoms and liberties for the next generation, then we have utterly failed,” Armstrong said. “I think the important thing for people that are reading this article [to know] is that [having] rallies for rallies’ sake doesn’t accomplish anything. … These bus stop events are not meant to energize them for a two-hour period and make them say, ‘Oh, I got to meet the candidate,’ and go [home]. This is to activate them to be the solution. And if we don’t all get involved right now, the republic will not stand.”
Armstrong said attendees get information on how to become involved with the grassroots organization’s efforts to protect Michiganders’ constitutional liberties, as well as resources on how to encourage others to spread the word about the dangers of the two amendments. They also hear remarks from notable state and local figures, such as pastors and political candidates.
The tour’s numerous speakers so far have included GOP gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon who, in addition to being a featured guest at past Stand Up Michigan events, has made parental rights a major focal point of her campaign. When asked about Dixon’s position on Proposal 2 and Proposal 3, Dixon’s campaign communications director Sara Broadwater told The Federalist Dixon will be “voting no” on both initiatives.
“[Tudor] believes in strong voter ID laws and that a valid photo ID should be required to cast a ballot. Over 81% of Americans agree with her — it’s simple and common sense,” Broadwater said. “Proposal 3 is far too extreme and Tudor will be voting no because it removes any limits on abortion, removes parental consent requirements for minors to get an abortion, eliminates any requirements that abortionists be medical doctors, and gives legal immunity to abortionists even if they botch the procedure.”
A schedule of Stand Up Michigan’s upcoming bus stops and events can be found here.
