Prosecutor Determines Toilet Protest Is Just That

A mid-Michigan prosecutor is closing out an election-related complaint. No charges are being pursued. The focus of the complaint is a home in the town of Mason, just outside Lansing.  The resident placed a toilet out front along with a sign, “Place mail-in ballots here”. A local county election clerk found the display not only offensive, but she was worried people would actually drop their absentee ballots there.  Her official complaint about the toilet and the accompanying sign claimed a felony charge might be in order since it appeared to be an effort to illegally harvest ballots. The Ingham County Prosecutor, however, seems to have some sense of reality and is accepting the resident's position that the yard display was simply a statement, not an attempt to gather up legitimate ballots of the unsuspecting.

A statement about the issue from the Prosecutor reads in part, quoting now, “…this seemed to be an effort to make a humorous political statement.”

The Associated Press reports the elections clerk who filed the official complaint has liberal leanings and is often critical of President Donald Trump. Some Democrats have been critical of the President’s comments about reliance on mail-in voting to replace in-person voting. They claim that position may create voter anxiety.