LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – Michigan could see another political party join the ranks in the coming months.
The Common Sense Party is led by former Michigan Republican Party Executive Director Jeff Timmer. Timmer is working to get the party to recognize the state.
“We have formed a new party to continue to assert our voices in the process to help be a force multiplier in the effort to return sanity and stability to our political system,” Timmer said.
He says the group’s base will focus solely on supporting democracy.
“We value democracy, free and fair elections, and we want to confront and reduce extremism and radicalization, with honesty in our politics,” Timmer said.
He also outlined a voting method called merger voting which, if implemented, would mean more than one party could nominate the same candidate.
“That used to be the practice in Michigan,” Timmer said. “It’s used in other states, and that’s what we’d like to see where we can be. Like I say, a force multiplier and never a spoiler in an election.”
Timmer had planned for the Board of State Canvassers to consider his petition to create the party, but told CBS News Detroit that he withdrew the petition due to some date-related errors in the petition.
Neither the state’s Democratic nor Republican parties were available for comment.
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