It’s been over four months since Kristen McDonald Rivet left her Michigan Senate seat to represent her district in the U.S. Congress, and 270,000 Michiganders in Midland, Bay, and Saginaw counties are still without representation.

Despite growing frustration from voters in the 35th District, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has yet to call a special election to fill McDonald Rivet’s vacant seat.

In response, the Michigan Freedom Fund launched Restore MI Voice, tracking how long the district stays unrepresented. The counter is now more than 81 days.

At a Saginaw area town hall, Rep. Amos O’Neal, D-Saginaw, admitted he wants the seat filled but refused to pressure the governor to have a special election.

“That’s a distraction I don’t need,” O’Neal said. “I’ve got a lot more fish to fry.”

“For 81 days and counting, Rep. O’Neal’s community has had no voice in the State Senate. Saginaw area taxpayers are stuck in Governor Whitmer’s political crosshairs. If stepping up for his community isn’t O’Neal’s job right now, then I don’t know what the hell is,” Zach Rudat, advocacy director of Michigan Freedom Fund, said in a statement. “For the 270,000 Michiganders lacking half of their representation in Lansing, this isn’t a distraction. It’s taxation without representation. It’s blatant political gamesmanship. And when it comes to O’Neal’s inability to hold Whitmer accountable, it’s political cowardice.”

Residents weren’t buying O’Neal’s statement. One constituent attending the town hall agreed with Zudat’s assessment: “This is taxation without representation.”

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MORE NEWS: Left-wing Common Cause calls out ally Whitmer’s ‘partisan games’ in Senate District 35

When pressed for answers, a Whitmer official dismissed concerns: “This is more of a political conversation. It’s a political, capital P, conversation rather than the issue that we’re here for today.”

The governor’s delay is a stark contrast to her past actions. When two Democratic seats in the State House were vacated, she called a special election within 24 hours. Restore MI Voice reports that Whitmer calls Democrat-friendly elections in two days on average. For others, it takes over a month or, in this case, four months and counting.

“It only took her about 20 days two years ago to call an election in other districts. Why are they more important than we are?” asked a town hall attendee identified only as Karen.

Republican lawmakers are demanding that Whitmer act. Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, a potential 2026 Whitmer challenger, pointed out her priorities:

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“She’s had time to travel from San Francisco to Martha’s Vineyard, Seattle to D.C., and even Spain and Dubai—while 270,000 Michiganders remain without a voice in the Senate,” Nesbitt said, referring to Whitmer’s book tours to support the publication of her book “True Gretch.” The governor is currently visiting the UK and Ireland on a so-called “jobs mission.”

Meanwhile, hundreds of residents took buses to Lansing to protest. Rep. Bill G. Schuette, R-Midland, didn’t hold back: “The governor talks about bipartisanship, but that doesn’t apply to the people of the 35th District. They’re paying full taxes but only getting half the representation.”

Whitmer has known since November that this seat would be vacant. Residents are demanding action, but with no announcement in sight, 270,000 Michiganders remain without full representation, and they’re not staying silent.