Black state lawmakers in Michigan have urged the state attorney general and a county prosecutor to investigate GOP U.S. House candidate Tom Barrett over a newspaper ad in a Black-owned publication that listed the wrong date for Election Day.
The Michigan Legislative Black Caucus claims that the Barrett campaign may have violated state law by placing an ad in the Michigan Bulletin, a Black-owned newspaper serving Lansing, which instructed voters to cast their ballots on November 6, despite Election Day being November 5.
Barrett is running against Democrat Curtis Hertel in a competitive race for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, currently represented by Democrat Elissa Slotkin.
Barrett campaign spokesperson Jason Roe described the incorrect date as “nothing but a proofing error.”
“Our campaign has actively engaged with the Black community and leaders because Senator Barrett values the voices of all communities in this election,” Roe said. “The Bulletin’s publisher informed us of the error on Saturday, and we’ve provided corrected artwork for next week’s issue.”
The campaign also noted that other mailers sent to Black voters contain the correct Election Day date.
However, Democratic state Senators Erika Geiss and Sarah Anthony, who filed the complaint on behalf of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus, pointed out that Barrett’s ad had the correct date in other publications. They argued this discrepancy raises additional concerns, noting that as of Sunday, the error had yet to be corrected in the Michigan Bulletin.
