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Michigan AG’s Letter To Resident Threatens Prosecution Over ‘Misleading’ Election Information

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Eireann Van Natta General Assignment Reporter
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Michigan’s Attorney General (AG) Dana Nessel sent a resident a “cease and desist” letter threatening prosecution over “misleading” election information posted on social media, The Midwesterner first reported.

The resident, who was previously anonymous, revealed her identity to The Federalist as Kerry Lynn Elieff and claimed she made a post June 12 detailing concerns “about a change in polling locations.” The letter was signed by the AG Criminal Trials Division Chief Robbin N. Liddell, and it stated Elieff was “in violation of Michigan election law.”

Failing to stop “spreading false and misleading information” about the Ross Township polling locations could “result in criminal prosecution,” the letter concluded. (RELATED: ‘Party Of Censorship’: Law Professor Rips Democratic Party Over California ‘Misinformation’ Law)

“I even thought about calling and saying, ‘Can you explain to me what misinformation I was giving?'” Elieff told The Federalist. “With this threat, how do you feel comfortable calling in?”

In a Facebook post in June, her account “Kerry Lynn Elieff 4 Ross Township Supervisor” alleged “It has come to my attention that the voting locations for Precincts 1 and 2 have been changed. Precinct 1, previously located at the August Village Hall, has been changed to be at the Sherman Lake YMCA.”

She told The Federalist she “removed or modified” her posts.

Elieff claimed the township failed to alert residents within the legally required 60 days that voting locations had changed, according to The Midwesterner.

The letter cited Michigan election law MCL 168.932(a) to claim that Elieff’s actions were illegal.

The section of the law referenced by Liddell states:

“A person shall not attempt, by means of bribery, menace, or other corrupt means or device, either directly or indirectly, to influence an elector in giving his or her vote, or to deter the elector from, or interrupt the elector in giving his or her vote at any election held in this state.”

Elieff told The Federalist she believes someone with disagreements in Ross Township reported her.

Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson launched efforts in August to tackle “misinformation.”

The Michigan Department of State’s website provides a link for residents to report each other for misinformation.

An election document from Michigan’s Bureau of Elections encourages people to report “misleading or inaccurate information” and claims that misinformation about elections “is a serious threat to election security.”

The document also advises people to go to Michigan’s Fact Check page, Snopes.com, FactCheck.org and PolitiFact.

According to FactCheck.org, it has received funding from Facebook and a “one-time grant” from Google for its coverage of Covid-19. Both Snopes.com and PolitiFact have been accused of left-wing bias in their fact checks.

The Caller reached out to the Attorney General’s office but have not heard back at time of publication.