Michigan Democrats change primary election date, GOP votes may be rendered pointless

Democrats in the Michigan legislature voted to change the date of its presidential primaries, making it so Republican Michigan delegates may not be counted towards the winner of the Republican National Convention.

The Democratic-party controlled Michigan legislature voted to move the primary date up to Feb. 27, 2024. This in turn violates the Republican National Committee's rule that only South Carolina, Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada can hold their primaries before March 1. If this rule is violated, the RNC may penalize the state by refusing to credential almost all of its delegates to the Republican National Convention.

The primary elections were originally supposed to be held on the second Tuesday of March, and the change was led by Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, according to a local Michigan outlet.

“The primary this year will be nothing more than a beauty contest,” Lapeer County Commissioner Gary Howell told the Lapeer County Tribune. “Our vote will not be counted by the RNC. It will be of no legal consequence whatsoever.”

Chairwoman of the Michigan Democratic Party Lavora Barnes told The Associated Press that being the fifth state to hold its presidential primary “ensures the voices of Michiganders are heard loud and clear and the primary process is truly representative of what America looks like.”

The vote to change the primary election date was strictly partisan, with every Democrat voting for it and every Republican voting against it. 

Republicans argued that the move is undemocratic. “The goal of Democrats is to disenfranchise Republicans from voting in the primary," GOP state Senator Kevin Daley told the Tribune.

“This was a huge priority for Governor Whitmer in her quest for national attention... for a run for vice president or president."