LANING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In a decision that could surely disenfranchise more than one million Republicans expected to vote in Michigan’s presidential primary next year, the MI GOP state committee voted over the weekend at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference to use a hybrid system that will award state delegates for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination using a system that relies mostly on the choices of insider party delegates to pick the presidential nominee during a caucus.

Because the Michigan legislators in the Democrat party moved up Michigan’s primary to February 27th next year, the Republicans were in a bind. According to the calendar rules of the Republican National Committee, (RNC), if Michigan Republicans were to go ahead with just the open primary as they have done in the past but with the earlier date, the RNC would penalize them, reducing Michigan’s Republican National Delegates from 55 to 12.

MORE NEWS: Noncitizens ‘Generally Not Eligible’ For Food Stamps? In Michigan, There’s More Than 32,000.

So instead, the MIGOP, along with Chairwoman Kristina Karamo, worked with RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel to come up with the compromise that resulted in more than 2/3 of the delegates to be chosen through a closed caucus and the rest to be decided by Michigan Republican voters in the primary. The caucus would be unlike other states’ caucuses in that it would be a closed caucus with party insiders making decisions and not a larger group of Republican voters. The RNC still has to approve the hybrid plan this fall.

In June, the MI GOP had passed a resolution of intent for the hybrid plan, that according to their press release would “protect the “voice of millions of Republican voters across Michigan by ensuring the will of those voting in the primary will be heard.”

With the new primary date moved up, Michigan is currently slated to be at the beginning of the presidential primary schedule and ahead of what is known as “Super Tuesday” on March 5th. However, in order to get that early slot, the Michigan legislature has to adjourn early, November at the latest, because under the Michigan Constitution, laws do not get immediate affect until 90 days after the legislative formally concludes its business for the year.

Many critics of the new hybrid plan say that the new system gives former President Donald Trump an edge on getting Michigan’s presidential nomination because the party’s precinct delegates are largely grassroots MAGA and/or Trump supporters.

In this new hybrid scenario, the Michigan Republican Party, who is being run by a person who has complained about the 2020 election being rigged, has decided that party insiders instead of the voters will be largely responsible for the state’s choice of a presidential nominee.

Michigan Republican strategist Dennis Lennox is on the side of arguing that the new system will disenfranchise Michigan Republican voters. He also sees the irony of the situation and told ABC News, “It’s a little bit ironic for a political party, with so many of its members obsessed with what they believe to have been a stolen or rigged election to be passing a proposal that would create the ultimate rigged or stolen election.”

MORE NEWS: No Guesswork, Just Grades: Detroit Teens Fast-Tracked to Wayne State

Steve Laffey, former mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island, and a relatively unknown 2024 president candidate says that the MI GOP’s decision is “rigged” and also spoke to the news outlet and said, “To select 70% of delegates at caucus meetings, instead of based on a primary vote, defies logic. It’s no secret that Donald Trump is extremely popular among local party officials in Michigan. This is just another blatant move to try and prevent the will of the people.”

Under the new rules, about a week before the primary, Republican precinct delegates and elected officials referred to as “at-large” delegates would meet at Republican county conventions across the state to choose members to send to congressional district caucuses. These choices are usually a popularity contest and delegates are often chosen according to whether they are considered to be RINOS (Republicans in Name Only), libertarians, Trump supporters or MAGA Republicans. Those allowed to vote and be chosen delegates at the county convention are elected precinct delegates and at-large delegates which include incumbent members of the state legislature, statewide officeholders, and others allowed by party rules.

12 days after the county conventions is the Michigan primary on February 27th. Republicans will divide 16 presidential delegates proportionately between the candidates who receive at least 12.5% of the GOP primary vote. On March 2, the District Convention occur where the MI GOP holds a convention that will feature the 13 separate congressional district caucus meetings. At that event, they will debate and vote on presidential candidates.

Three delegates are chosen for each of the 13 congressional districts, for a total of 39 delegates. After that happens, the MI GOP state committee meets to finalize results and select local Republicans to serve as delegates to the RNC convention. July 15-18 is the RNC convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where the Republicans formally elect their presidential nominee.

Many Michigan Republican Party officials, past and present, are actually happy with the new hybrid model as they have long complained about the open primary system where “outsiders” could meddle in the primaries of their opponents.

In a state where the Republican presidential candidate will be chosen mostly by state delegates and not the Michigan Republican voters, it’s likely that Republican presidential candidates might not campaign much in the state and instead focus their time and efforts on precinct delegates.

Republican presidential hopeful and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, might have already figured out that strategy as he was the only candidate to show up at the MIGOP Leadership Conference over the weekend and was able to campaign in front of a group of party loyalists without any other competition.