Great Lakes Wire

Michigan Republican officials directed a number of statements at Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt. 

News broke recently that Missouri Republican Sen. Roy Blunt's son received hundreds of thousands of dollars from an outside organization to stand against Michigan's efforts to change the state's voter ID laws.

The organization is called the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a recent report from The Washington Free Beacon said. 

In total, the Sixteen Thirty Fund spent $2.5 million in opposition to petitions to change Michigan's election laws, a Transparency USA report said.

"What does Sen. Roy Blunt think about his son raking in [George] Soros cash to work against securing our elections in Michigan?" Orlando Estrada, a Holland-based community activist, told the Great Lakes Wire this week. "We cannot allow shady, out-of-state organizations to scheme against Michiganders and our elections." 

Elected officials weighed in on the matter as well. 

"Everyone wants to see their vote count," Shane Trejo, Michigan's 11th District District GOP chairman, told the Wire. "We do not want to see our election integrity undermined or see people receiving apparent bribes to suppress the fundamental rights of Michiganders. We cannot allow shady, out-of-state, dark money organizations to scheme against Michiganders and attack our elections, regardless if their dad is a Republican senator."

Activists warned of Blunt's son's connections to George Soros. 

“Sen. Roy Blunt needs to answer for this because if he’s this closely affiliated to the manipulations of George Soros then voters in Missouri should beware,” Aleks Oslapas, a Detroit-based GOP activist, told the Wire. “Michiganders are growing continuously concerned and outraged that so much out of state money is flooding into our state to try and manipulate us. The overwhelming majority of us believe in secure elections, no amount of money can change that fact.” 

This opposition movement is called "Protect MI Vote" and aims to stop individuals from working for conservative campaigns to change election laws, a recent Bridge Michigan report said. One supporter was payed $50,000 not to engage in "election reform" issues, the Free Beacon report said.

"Protect MI Vote’s scheme to pay off circulators not to engage in the Secure MI Vote Initiative Petition is deplorable on its face and has no place in Michigan elections," professional signature gatherer Dustin Wefel said in a complaint that was first reported by The Detroit News and quoted by Bridge Michigan.

A recent state survey showed that a supermajority of Michigan residents, 76%, support an ID requirement to vote. Currently, voters only need a proof of address such as a utility bill.

To find out more about Secure Michigan Vote and sign up to receive a petition, visit securemivote.org.