A coalition of Michigan political organizations is calling for the resignation of Shelby Township Clerk Stanley Grot after he was charged with eight felonies connected to the false electors scheme in the 2020 presidential election.
The organizations, which include All Voting is Local Action, the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Voters Not Politicians and the Michigan People’s Campaign, plan to present a letter with their request to the Shelby Township Board of Trustees at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the board meeting.
“Our democracy cannot survive if those chosen to uphold it are the same people trying to overthrow it,” said Jamie Lyons-Eddy, executive director of Voters Not Politicians. “The Democracy Coalition, a collective of voting rights and democracy advocates dedicated to promoting transparency, accountability and ethical governance, is calling on Stanley Grot to resign from his position as Shelby Township clerk.”
Lyons-Eddy added: “Voters Not Politicians and other groups have organized concerned voters from Shelby Township to address this issue during public comment. We firmly believe that it is in the best interest of the citizens of Shelby Township for Mr. Grot to resign from his position.”
Grot faces charges including forgery and conspiracy to commit election law forgery, which have damaged public trust and impair his ability to carry out the duties of the clerk’s office, Lyons-Eddy said. Michigan’s elections director has barred Grot from administering elections while the charges against him are pending.
“Voters in Shelby Township plan to show up Tuesday to make sure the board of trustees understands that they don’t trust Mr. Grot to conduct any business on behalf of people of the township,” Lyons-Eddy said.
The allegations against Grot undermine “voter confidence in the integrity of elections,” Michigan’s elections director Jonathan Brater wrote in a letter to Grot instructing him to refrain from administering any elections.
Grot is one of 16 Republicans, including Wyoming, Michigan, Mayor Kent Vanderwood, accused of forging a document that attempted to give Michigan’s 16 electoral votes to Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, despite Democrat Joe Biden having won the state by 154,000 votes. All 16 have been charged with eight felonies, the most severe of which carry sentences of up to 14 years in prison.
The Democracy Coalition has submitted a letter to the Wyoming City Council asking Vanderwood to step down.
“Any elected official who is unwilling to faithfully serve the will of the voters is unfit to hold office,” Lyons-Eddy said.
This story was originally published by Detroit News. Read more here: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2023/08/15/activists-call-for-resignation-of-shelby-twp-clerk-charged-in-electors-scheme/70592822007/
