A wave of election denialism swept over the crowd of Democratic delegates at the state convention Saturday in Lansing after a candidate was defeated.
Huwaida Arraf was running for University of Michigan regent. The attorney who defended pro-Hamas protesters on campus announced a bid against Shauna Ryder Diggs and Denise Illitch. Delegates would nominate the top two vote getters to appear on the November ballot.
According to the Detroit Free Press, “Diggs received over 2,800 votes and Ilitch received over 2,400 while Arraf received just over 2,300 under the party’s proportional voting system.”
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It was then delegates questioned the outcome of the election, booing and loudly chanting “show the math!” Watch:
Shauna Ryder Diggs and Denise Illitch nominated for the UM Board of Regents.
Huwaida Arraf supporters first booed, then chanted “show the math” pic.twitter.com/6XDp4txp3v
— Beth LeBlanc (@DNBethLeBlanc) August 24, 2024
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MIRS News reporter Maggie George, who also posted video, reported the Democratic Party used a “weighted system” to tabulate votes.
Huwaida Arraf’s opponents, Denise Iletch and Shauna Ryder Diggs, have won the Dem nominations for the U-M Board of Regents. Remaining attendees are chanting “show the math” because of the weighted system used to determine the nominations. pic.twitter.com/kqZv5XdbAC
— Maggie George (@MaggieLynnG) August 24, 2024
“To prevent favor toward the hosting county of the convention, a # of votes is given to each county, but that # is not equal to the total # of voters. If more voters show up than votes assigned to that county, each voter is casting a fraction of a vote.,” she said.
“In November, we’ll remember,” they chanted.
Arraf intended to be a “bridge” between pro-Hamas protesters who mobilized after terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023 and the Board of Regents.
Referring to students, Arraf said, “They need to have a seat at the table. We need to protect them if they’re protesting.”