Republican candidate posts campaign ad appealing to Black voters - and says to vote after election day

The Republican’s campaign spokesperson called it a ‘proofing error’

Michigan congressional candidate Tom Barrett ran an ad in a Black-owned newspaper with the wrong date for Election Day. Now, an organization has filed a complaint against his campaign, accusing them of suppressing Black voters (Tom Barrett for Congress)

A Republican congressional candidate is under fire after running an ad with the incorrect date for Election Day in a Black-owned local publication.

Tom Barrett, who is vying to represent Michigan’s 7th district, ran an ad in the Black-owned Michigan Bulletin that read, “On November 6 VOTE FOR TOM BARRETT.”

Election Day is November 5.

The Michigan Legislative Black Caucus has filed a complaint against his campaign with the state’s attorney general, accusing them of misleading and suppressing Black voters. The organization has called on the state attorney general and local county prosecutor to launch a probe into Barrett’s campaign as a result.

“At best, Tom Barrett and his Campaign have committed a shocking oversight which will undoubtedly lead to confusion by Black voters in Lansing,” the complaint states, according to The Washington Post. “And, at worst, this ad could be part of an intentional strategy to ‘deter’ Black voters by deceiving them into showing up to vote on the day after the 2024 election.”

Barrett is pictured in uniform while serving in the Army. The Michigan Legislative Black Caucus has asked the state’s attorney general and the local county prosecutor to launch a probe into Barrett’s campaign (Tom Barrett for Congress)

The campaign has acknowledged the mistake and chalked it up to a “proofing error.” They have also sent mailers on October 2 and October 9 to Black voters clarifying when Election Day is, campaign spokesperson Jason Roe told the Post.

He also said next week’s issue of the Michigan Bulletin will feature an ad with the correct date. Barrett is running for a large Michigan district in the central part of the state that includes the capital Lansing.

“Our campaign has been committed to outreach to the Black community and Black leaders because it is important to Senator Barrett that every community be heard in this election,”  Roe said. “The goal is to earn more support from Black voters.”

However, the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus is pushing back on the idea that this error was simply a mistake.

“It strains credulity that this was a simple mistake,” the group said, according to the Post. “Tom Barrett and his Campaign placed two nearly identical ads in two different newspapers within a week of each other.”

“The ad placed in the newspaper read predominantly by Black voters has the wrong election date; while the ad placed in the newspaper not read predominantly by Black voters has the correct election date,” the group continued.

The Independent has contacted Barrett’s campaign, the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus and the Michigan Bulletin for comment.

Election disinformation is already running rampant in Black spaces online, NBC News reports. A study from the non-profit Onyx Impact released in June indicates at least 40 million Americans might have been regularly targeted and fed disinformation within these spaces, according to NBC.

Michigan is also one of the major battleground states that will decide the upcoming presidential election on November 5. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are currently tied in the state, according to the latest poll from Emerson College.