More than 60 Rotarians gathered on the Zoom call shortly after noon to check in and socialize. At 12:30, Lori Walters provided the “Zoom Etiquette” for the members. She encouraged everyone to invite guests by simply forwarding the Zoom invite. At 12:34, President Joanne Pierson rang the bell to start the official meeting. President Joanne introduced Tom Strode on his piano, who led the members in singing our National Anthem. Bev Sieford provided the Inspirational message (all the way from Beaver Island) regarding the meaning of the Declaration of Independence. She encouraged us to take a pause to reflect on how we can form a more perfect union. “May we always resolve to be all we can be and do all we can do to make this a better world.” We feel so much pride when we see Barbara McQuade on television and her Michigan Logo behind her.
President Joanne introduced the Rotary video “It’s a Great Day to be A Rotarian” with a montage of photos showing Rotary activities. She then welcomed all of our members in attendance (85 people by then). She also thanked our set up team consisting of Lori Walters, John White, Sara Maddock; our photographer, Fred Beutler, Reporter, Kathy Waugh and attendance takers, Dawn Johnson. Additional thanks went to Tom Strode for playing the piano and Ingrid Sheldon for providing the video. July birthdays were also acknowledged.
Emeritus Award presentation
Bob Buchanan introduced us to Phil Klintworth, who was the first ROTC alumni to return to Michigan as commanding officer of the University’s Naval ROTC Unit. Phil retired from the Navy in 1991 after more than 25 years. He first became a Rotarian in 1984 while in the Navy in various locations. He joined our club in 1989. We thank you for your service, Phil! (Click here to read Bob’s full presentation.)
Announcements from the President
- Dues are overdue. If you haven’t paid, get it done.
- Zoom meeting coordinator volunteers are needed – contact Lori Walters
- Membership committee needs help to keep our club vibrant – contact Norma Sarkar
Virtual Italian Summer Festival
This lovely festival will be held on August 17, 2020 at 7:00 PM so SAVE THE DATE. A take-out, order-ahead meal will be provided by Paesano’s and will include wine options. The evening incorporates a Zoom wine talk by Paesano’s owner Michael Roddy and former wine director, Chaad Thomas. Profits from this summer festival will support RCAA projects. Additional information and an electronic invitation will be coming out soon.
Guest Speaker – Barbara McQuade (professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School, and legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.
Barbara Niess-May introduced today’s speaker, Barbara McQuade – who is a Michigan grad and served as a US attorney appointed by Barack Obama. She also serves as a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. She originally practiced law in the Detroit area and is a Professor of the Practice at the University of Michigan School of Law.
Barbara McQuade thanked everyone for the invitation and specifically to Barbara Niess-May for inviting her. She kept things lively with a PowerPoint presentation to discuss the “2020 Election and the Law” – with special attention on Covid-19. Her presentation covered three main topics, which are detailed below.
Can President Trump delay the November election?
The election is set for November 3rd. Even if there is a delay for Covid reasons, as long as we meet the December 14th deadline for the Electoral College Votes, we can still get our votes in. But no matter what happens, on January 20th, 2021 Trump’s term WILL expire. If there’s no election at all, both the President and VP will lose all of their powers on that date. Also, no one in the house (i.e. Nancy Pelosi) can become the president because they were not elected. Ultimately, if the no-election scenario plays out, the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo would become our 46th president.
Is voting by mail trustworthy?
Also known as “Absentee Voting.” There are 5 states using voting by mail primarily (OR, WA, HI, CO and UT). It has not been drawn along party lines, so the recent controversy does not have a history of conflict. 28 states have no-fault absentee voting, but voter must request a ballot (as in Michigan). 17 states allow absentee voting, but only for cause (similar to the old Michigan rule – age, disability, away from precinct, etc.)
The concerns about fraud have to do with lack of voter ID checking, ballots stolen from the mail or fake ballots being mailed in. But we have protections such as: a) requiring voters to include identifying information, b) requiring signatures on the envelope that are matched to signature on voter rolls, c) use of bar code to track ballots, d) use of drop boxes at clerk’s office with security cameras, e) there will be some in-person polling places as a back-up, f) post-election audits will be conducted, g) criminal penalties for fraud = 5 years, $10,000.
In 2018, 31 million US voters voted by mail, which is equal to 25% of all voters. It is becoming more prevalent. We expect a significant increase due to Covid this year. Several studies have been done on mail-in voting and it is becoming clear that one is more likely to be struck by lightening than to commit voter fraud.
What if adversaries attack our election?
Robert Mueller found that the “Russian government interfered with the 2016 election in sweeping and systematic fashion.” They used information warfare to attack in two ways:
- Hacking and release of DNC emails
- “Active measures” campaign “designed to provoke and amply political and social discord in the United States.”
Russia also staged pro-Trump rallies in the United States to coordinate Trump supporters and encourage them to be anti-Clinton. Russia also paid for social media ads and posted content while posing as grassroots US political groups (such as “Army of Jesus” for example). Doctored photos were also used prolifically.
So, how can we avoid this in 2020?
- Educate the public about active measures in social media campaigns – Read the Mueller Report! (Or at least the summaries) Here’s the report: https://www.justice.gov/storage/report.pdf
- Policy changes – Twitter no longer allows paid political ads
- Permit voting on more than one day (avoid risks)
- Early voting
- Make election day a holiday
Vote!!
In 2016, only 53 percent of eligible voters voted. At 61%, Michigan was only slightly better than the national average. We need to educate university students to be registered in advance and know their polling places or absentee voting requirements.
Michigan Absentee ballot information: https://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,4670,7-127-1633_8716_8728—,00.html
Barbara’s excellent presentation was well-received and extremely informative! She stayed on the call after the official meeting ended to answer numerous questions.
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President Joanne ended the meeting with a quote form Desmond Tutu: “Do your little bit of good where you are. It’s those little bits of good together that overwhelm the world.” She rang the bell at 1:30.
