Rank MI Vote Volunteers Forced Out On GOP Convention After Maddock Confrontation

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 03/31/2026) Volunteers manning a Rank MI Vote booth at the Michigan Republican Party's endorsement convention this past weekend were asked to leave by party leaders and security after Rep. Matt Maddock (R-Milford) confronted them and made it clear their presence wasn't welcome.

Rank MI Vote volunteers said they had paid the party for a booth under the name of the ballot question seeking to establish a ranked voting system in the state and wanted to talk with people who are politically active about their objective.

“Ranked choice voting is a nonpartisan reform that gives more choice and more voice to all voters," said Rank MI Vote Executive Director Pat Zabawa, “We find voters of all political identities are interested in ensuring our democracy reflects the will of the voters, but we will also stand with our volunteers and keep them out of harm’s way.”

Rank MI Vote is an initiative designed to allow Michigan voters to rank their preferred candidates on the ballot as opposed to choosing one candidate from a field of multiple options. The approach is used in a handful of states to allow voters more power to pick those candidates they prefer as opposed to the “lesser of two evils.”

Republicans, in particular, have been skeptical of the change on the basis that ranked choice voting is a backdoor attempt to water down the Republican vote.

Volunteers said Maddock started making derogatory remarks about the volunteers and kept calling them communists, before getting a chair and putting it in front of the booth to actively stop people from talking with them.

Maddock was removed by security but returned about an hour later with a group of people who shouted “communist” and “shame” at the volunteers, with Maddock saying, “If we were in the parking lot, I’d kick your ass.”

Venue security was called in again, before Michigan Republican Party Chair Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) and security apologized, but asked the volunteers to leave for their safety.

"We are a nonpartisan group working to meet voters everywhere they are, including all parties’ nominating conventions. We were having a productive day meeting like-minded, politically engaged convention attendees until Rep. Maddock chose to bully our volunteers and anyone who stopped to speak with us,” said Jennifer Umphress, Rank MI Vote's conservative working group director.

Zabawa said the group was reimbursed for their table fee at the convention.

He said there was nothing preceding the interaction the volunteers had before Maddock started his confrontation.

Maddock told MIRS that he “knows they are communists” and pointed to a line on the Communist Party USA website that backs ranked choice voting, which would allow more people to pick minority parties while voting.

“Apparently, five communists with rigged choice voting scammed their way onto the convention floor using a different name, but we got them the hell out there when we figured out who they really were," he said, “I don’t tolerate communists or abortionists in my presence.”

Zabawa said the organization is not affiliated with any party and had signed up for the booth using Rank MI Vote.

“We want to meet voters where they’re at and that’s a place for a lot of very involved people. So, we paid for the booth, got our materials approved, and we were just meeting Republican convention attendee-goers,” Zabawa said.