Initiatives battle for voter rights in Michigan
2 years, 5 months ago

Initiatives battle for voter rights in Michigan

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — An effort to lock certain voting rights in the Michigan Constitution has taken a major step toward the fall ballot, eclipsing a rival campaign led by Republicans to limit absentee voting and add other restrictions. The ballot question would expand voter rights by allowing nine days of in-person early voting, state-funded absentee ballot postage and drop boxes in every community. Khalilah Spencer, president of Promote The Vote, said the campaign “observed the 2020 election, and even the 2018 election, and we see where there could be improvements.” In addition to increased access to early voting, the constitutional amendment would require 24-hour absentee ballot drop boxes in every community. Jamie Roe, spokesperson for the Secure MI Vote measure, said the group plans to submit signatures “very soon,” but he acknowledged that it would die if voters in November approve the Promote The Vote proposal. Secure MI Vote organizers skipped a June 1 deadline to get on the fall ballot, with Roe telling The Associated Press that the group believed “the initiative will pass the Legislature and not even make it on the ballot so the June deadline was artificial to us.” ___ Joey Cappelletti is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative.

Voting Election Michigan Vote Ballot Absentee Promote The Vote  voting  absentee  pass  voters  michigan  election  state  battle  ballot  initiatives  signatures  rights  voter  vote

History of this topic

Republicans demand purge of Michigan's voter rolls before general election
9 months, 1 week ago

Republicans demand purge of Michigan's voter rolls before general election

Raw Story  

The Republican National Committee is trying to get the Michigan voter rolls purged before November's general election, the non-partisan voting rights legal organization Democracy Docket revealed. Posting a court filing on social media, the group explained that the RNC sued Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, claiming that Michigan was in violation of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 because …

Michigan election gave communities more time to handle absentee ballots
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Michigan election gave communities more time to handle absentee ballots

Associated Press  

DETROIT — Michigan’s presidential primary was the first time that communities in the state had the ability to count absentee ballots days before the Tuesday election. “That took a lot of the burden off Election Day tabulation of absentee ballots,” said Michael Siegrist, the clerk in Wayne County’s Canton Township. “Michigan had been held hostage by antiquated laws and procedures.” …

Eyeing 2024, Michigan Democrats expand voter registration and election safeguards in the swing state
1 year ago

Eyeing 2024, Michigan Democrats expand voter registration and election safeguards in the swing state

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Democrats are building on an effort to overhaul election laws in the state by allowing 16-year-olds to register before they can legally vote at 18 and adding more protections for election officials ahead of a 2024 presidential election that the swing state could play a critical role in. “This groundbreaking step will cement Michigan as a …

Michigan Republicans file lawsuit to overturn 2018 and 2022 voting rights initiatives
1 year, 2 months ago

Michigan Republicans file lawsuit to overturn 2018 and 2022 voting rights initiatives

Raw Story  

A lawsuit filed by nearly a dozen Michigan Republican lawmakers seeks to roll back voting rights measures passed by voters in 2018 and 2022. They argue that because the Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution provides for state legislatures to regulate the times, places, and manner of holding federal elections, the measures, which were passed by citizen-led petition initiatives, are …

Michigan governor signs legislation expanding voting rights
1 year, 5 months ago

Michigan governor signs legislation expanding voting rights

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday signed a bipartisan package of bills into law to expand voter rights by allowing early voting and early tabulation of absentee ballots across Michigan. The measure requires state-funded absentee ballot drop boxes, as well as postage for absentee ballots and applications, and allows voters to join a permanent list to receive absentee …

GOP state lawmakers try to restrict ballot initiatives, partly to thwart abortion protections
1 year, 7 months ago

GOP state lawmakers try to restrict ballot initiatives, partly to thwart abortion protections

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — With other state lawmakers seated around her in the Ohio House, Democratic state Rep. Tavia Galonski got to her feet and began to loudly chant, “One person, one vote!” The former Teamster’s cry spread quickly through the visitors gallery, then began to rise from the throng of protesters gathered outside in the statehouse rotunda. Last week’s striking …

Mississippi sets tighter restrictions on absentee ballots
1 year, 9 months ago

Mississippi sets tighter restrictions on absentee ballots

Associated Press  

— Mississippi will set tighter restrictions on who can gather other people’s absentee ballots, under a bill that Gov. The Republican governor said the law, which takes effect July 1, will ban political operatives from collecting and handling large numbers of absentee ballots. Opponents said the new restrictions could hurt candidates, campaign workers, nursing home employees or others who make …

Absentee ballot numbers in Michigan show high voter turnout
2 years, 2 months ago

Absentee ballot numbers in Michigan show high voter turnout

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — Over 150,000 Michigan voters have cast absentee ballots a month before the Nov. 8 election that will decide the state’s governor, secretary of state, attorney general and whether access to abortion will be a constitutional right. Rollow said he expects the state “would end up with about 2.25 million absentee ballots submitted if things were to play …

Mail ballot fight persists in key states, sure to slow count
2 years, 3 months ago

Mail ballot fight persists in key states, sure to slow count

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Former President Donald Trump and his allies seized on the drawn-out vote processing and counting in Pennsylvania during the 2020 election to fuel his false claims that fraud cost him victory in the battleground state — and election officials worry that a replay could be on the horizon in November’s crucial Senate and governor’s races. Efforts since …

Michigan Dems hope for boost from abortion ballot initiative
2 years, 3 months ago

Michigan Dems hope for boost from abortion ballot initiative

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — A question on Michigan’s November ballot asking voters to put the right to an abortion in the state constitution could have a powerful effect: drawing more left-leaning voters to the polls and boosting Democrats’ power in the battleground state. “I think we saw in Kansas that the ballot measure certainly increased turnout and changed the turnout equation …

Michigan board approves ballot measure on voting access
2 years, 3 months ago

Michigan board approves ballot measure on voting access

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — A Michigan election board on Friday voted to put a question on the November ballot about whether the state should expand opportunities to vote, including through absentee and early voting, after the state Supreme Court ordered it to do so. The measure would require state-funded absentee ballot drop boxes, as well as postage for absentee ballots and …

GOP escalates fight against citizen-led ballot initiatives
2 years, 3 months ago

GOP escalates fight against citizen-led ballot initiatives

Associated Press  

— Hundreds of thousands of people signed petitions this year backing proposed ballot initiatives to expand voting access, ensure abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona, Arkansas and Michigan. “What is happening now is just a web of technicalities to thwart the process in states where voters are using the people’s tool to make an immediate positive change in …

Michigan election board rejects abortion rights initiative
2 years, 3 months ago

Michigan election board rejects abortion rights initiative

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — A Michigan elections board on Wednesday rejected an abortion rights initiative after its two Republican board members voted against putting the proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot. Michigan’s 1931 law — which abortion opponents had hoped would be triggered by a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade in June — remains …

Michigan measure to expand voting access blocked from ballot
2 years, 3 months ago

Michigan measure to expand voting access blocked from ballot

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — A Michigan elections board decided Wednesday that a proposed constitutional amendment that would expand voting access didn’t qualify for the November ballot, leading the measure’s supporters to vow to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court. The proposed amendment to the state constitution would, among other changes, require nine days of in-person early voting and require …

Wisconsin elections commission rejects guidance for clerks
2 years, 5 months ago

Wisconsin elections commission rejects guidance for clerks

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s bipartisan elections commission couldn’t agree Tuesday on what guidance, if any, to give the state’s more than 1,800 local clerks to help them understand how to implement a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling outlawing absentee ballot drop boxes. The conservative-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday ruled 4-3 that absentee ballot drop boxes are illegal and voters must …

Michigan initiatives miss deadline, will look to Legislature
2 years, 6 months ago

Michigan initiatives miss deadline, will look to Legislature

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — Organizers behind two high-profile proposed laws in Michigan skipped a deadline to potentially appear on November’s ballot and will instead look to get the initiatives approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature. Of the 10 ballot committees attempting to change state law, Michiganders for Fair Lending’s proposal to cap payday loan rates was the lone group to submit signatures …

Whitmer vetoes bill to add warning against voting twice
2 years, 7 months ago

Whitmer vetoes bill to add warning against voting twice

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed legislation that would have required voter registration applications to include a statement that the applicant understands it is a felony to try to vote more than once in the same election. Her office announced the veto late Friday, after business hours, saying the bill was part of a larger package of election measures …

Michigan Republicans delay absentee ballot signature rules
2 years, 9 months ago

Michigan Republicans delay absentee ballot signature rules

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — Republican lawmakers on Tuesday delayed until after the November election rules that will tell Michigan election clerks how to match the signatures of people applying for and submitting absentee ballots. “We will continue to find ways to work across the aisle to do what’s best for every voter, in the hopes they change course and work with …

House OKs banning online absentee applications, SOS mailings
2 years, 9 months ago

House OKs banning online absentee applications, SOS mailings

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — The Republican-controlled Michigan House voted Thursday to prohibit digital signatures on absentee ballot applications and to ban unsolicited mailings of applications to voters, advancing more election bills that are unlikely to be signed by the Democratic governor. Republicans said they would increase voters’ confidence in elections and make voting more secure after the 2018 approval of a …

Voting, payday lending ballot drives advance in Michigan
2 years, 10 months ago

Voting, payday lending ballot drives advance in Michigan

Associated Press  

DELTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Ballot drives to expand voting options, restrict payday loans and overhaul Michigan’s citizens initiative process cleared steps before the state elections board Friday, enabling organizers to start collecting hundreds of thousands of signatures to qualify for the 2022 ballot. Its constitutional amendment — proposed months after Republicans launched a veto-proof initiative they contend would improve election …

NY expands absentee voting after defeat of ballot measure
2 years, 11 months ago

NY expands absentee voting after defeat of ballot measure

Associated Press  

ALBANY, N.Y. — New Yorkers can again choose to vote by absentee rather than face the risk of catching COVID-19 at polling sites through the rest of 2022 under a bill that Gov. The Conservative Party’s ads argued that same day voter registration and expanded absentee voting would weaken election security. New York still took some steps to make voting …

GOP chair funds Michigan ballot drive to toughen voting law
3 years, 1 month ago

GOP chair funds Michigan ballot drive to toughen voting law

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — The primary funder of a ballot drive to toughen Michigan’s voter identification law and restrict mass mailings of unsolicited absentee ballot applications is Ron Weiser, chairman of the state Republican Party. The group needs about 340,000 valid voter signatures for the initiative, which the GOP-controlled Legislature would likely pass into law rather than let it go to …

Michigan governor vetoes stricter voter ID, election bills
3 years, 1 month ago

Michigan governor vetoes stricter voter ID, election bills

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — As promised, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday vetoed Republican- The governor said the bills would disproportionately hurt minority voters who are more likely to not have a photo ID on Election Day than white voters. Republicans said the bills, which follow a wave of new laws in GOP-controlled states that tighten election rules, would secure voting …

Opposition raises $2.5M to fight Michigan GOP voting changes
3 years, 1 month ago

Opposition raises $2.5M to fight Michigan GOP voting changes

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — A Michigan group has raised $2.5 million from a liberal nonprofit to fight a Republican-backed ballot drive that would toughen voter ID requirements, ban the unsolicited mailing of absentee ballot applications and make other election changes. Jamie Roe, spokesman for Secure MI Vote, said of the effort: “Out-of-state leftists funding an operation designed to create confrontation and …

Michigan Republicans OK tougher voting rules; gov to veto
3 years, 2 months ago

Michigan Republicans OK tougher voting rules; gov to veto

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — The Republican-led Michigan Legislature on Thursday approved tougher voter ID requirements and a ban against mass mailing of unsolicited absentee ballot applications, finalizing bills that will be vetoed by Democratic Gov. The legislation headed to Whitmer would require voters who request an absentee ballot to write their driver’s license number, state ID number or the last four …

‘Cannot wait for Washington:’ Voting rights activists scramble to navigate new restrictions ahead of November elections
3 years, 2 months ago

‘Cannot wait for Washington:’ Voting rights activists scramble to navigate new restrictions ahead of November elections

CNN  

CNN — When activist Tammye Pettyjohn Jones knocks on voters’ doors in her rural corner of Georgia this month, she’ll have a new tool in hand: a portable printer. A sweeping voting law Georgia enacted this year now requires voters who do not have a driver’s license or state ID to provide a copy of another form of identification with …

GOP group clears step to pursue Michigan voting restrictions
3 years, 3 months ago

GOP group clears step to pursue Michigan voting restrictions

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — Republican organizers of veto-proof legislation that would make it harder to vote cleared a procedural step Thursday when the Michigan elections board approved a 100-word summary that will appear on top of the ballot petition. Once the Board of State Canvassers also clears the petition’s form, likely Monday, Secure MI Vote will soon after begin collecting signatures, …

Arizona Legislature set to send initiative changes to ballot
3 years, 5 months ago

Arizona Legislature set to send initiative changes to ballot

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Republican lawmakers are poised to send two more measures changing the rules for citizen initiatives to the ballot for voter approval, joining another one that was referred to the 2022 ballot on Friday. The measure approved for the ballot last week would change the Constitution and give the Legislature more power to alter citizen initiatives approved by voters …

Michigan Senate GOP probe: No systemic fraud in election
3 years, 6 months ago

Michigan Senate GOP probe: No systemic fraud in election

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — State Senate Republicans who investigated Michigan’s 2020 presidential election for months concluded there was no widespread or systemic fraud and urged the state attorney general to consider probing people who have made baseless allegations about the results in Antrim County to raise money or publicity “for their own ends.” The GOP-led state Senate Oversight Committee said in …

Michigan Republicans pass bills to add voter ID requirements
3 years, 6 months ago

Michigan Republicans pass bills to add voter ID requirements

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — Republicans who control the Michigan Senate passed contentious legislation Wednesday that would mandate a photo ID to vote in person and add identity requirements for people who want to vote by mail. Republicans said the bills would ensure election integrity and security, contending the system became more vulnerable following a 2018 voter-approved constitutional amendment that expanded absentee …

Resolution to allow expanded absentee voting clears House
3 years, 7 months ago

Resolution to allow expanded absentee voting clears House

Associated Press  

The state House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a resolution that could ultimately end Connecticut’s long-standing, tight restrictions on when residents are allowed to vote by absentee ballot. Instead, if the Senate passes the same measure, 2024 is the soonest that a question could appear on the general election ballot as to whether Connecticut’s constitution should be changed to allow …

Republican-backed law limits absentee voting in Florida
3 years, 7 months ago

Republican-backed law limits absentee voting in Florida

Al Jazeera  

Voting rights advocates have filed legal challenges to the law, which they say will make voting more difficult. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a law curtailing access to absentee ballots and adding new hurdles to the process of submitting them, the latest Republican-backed voting restrictions to become law in the United States since the 2020 presidential election. @NAACP_LDF https://t.co/ylAkbBk9FV …

Despite business warnings, GOP moves ahead with voting bills
3 years, 7 months ago

Despite business warnings, GOP moves ahead with voting bills

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Republican lawmakers around the country are pressing ahead with efforts …

GOP-backed voting law rewrite in Ohio offers mix of changes
3 years, 8 months ago

GOP-backed voting law rewrite in Ohio offers mix of changes

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A significant rewrite of Ohio’s election laws will call for prohibiting off-site ballot drop boxes, eliminating a day of early voting and tightening Ohio’s voter ID requirement while also adding new conveniences to elections, such as allowing absentee ballot requests to be submitted online and automating voter registration, according to a description of the forthcoming legislation distributed …

Benson: Michigan voting bills more restrictive than Georgia
3 years, 8 months ago

Benson: Michigan voting bills more restrictive than Georgia

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan’s top election official on Thursday blasted Republican-backed voting bills that are pending in the Legislature, calling them an “un-American” affront to voters and saying some would be more restrictive than a controversial new law in Georgia. “There’s no evidence or data or even precedent to suggest that that somehow would prevent voter fraud.” Benson noted Michigan …

Leaders of GM, Ford among objectors to voting restrictions
3 years, 8 months ago

Leaders of GM, Ford among objectors to voting restrictions

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — The leaders of three-dozen major Michigan-based companies, including General Motors and Ford, on Tuesday objected to Republican- The businesses issued a joint statement saying they are united for principles such as equitable access to the ballot and the avoidance of moves that reduce voting, particularly among historically disenfranchised communities. “Government must avoid actions that reduce participation in …

After Georgia: Here Are 4 States To Watch Next On Voting Legislation
3 years, 8 months ago

After Georgia: Here Are 4 States To Watch Next On Voting Legislation

NPR  

After Georgia: Here Are 4 States To Watch Next On Voting Legislation Enlarge this image toggle caption Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images While the debate and recriminations over Georgia's controversial new election law continue, some attention turns elsewhere, to other states where lawmakers are similarly weighing contested voting legislation. States with Republican leadership — like …

Michigan GOP plans to sidestep gov to enact election changes
3 years, 8 months ago

Michigan GOP plans to sidestep gov to enact election changes

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — The GOP-controlled Legislature is planning a maneuver that would enable it to pass contentious election changes into law and effectively nullify a likely veto from the state’s Democratic governor, a top Michigan Republican said. Weiser said the “election integrity” bills — which would, among other things, require photo ID, restrict absentee ballot drop box hours and ban …

Michigan Republicans propose slew of election changes
3 years, 8 months ago

Michigan Republicans propose slew of election changes

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Republicans on Wednesday proposed a slew of election bills that would require voters to submit a photo ID, prohibit the unsolicited mass mailing of absentee ballot applications, and restrict the hours in which people could drop their ballot in curbside boxes. The 39-bill package would let 16- and 17-year-olds preregister to vote, create an “early voting” …

Republicans propose voting changes in battleground Wisconsin
3 years, 10 months ago

Republicans propose voting changes in battleground Wisconsin

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Republican lawmakers in battleground Wisconsin have introduced a series of bills designed to make it more difficult to vote absentee, a push that comes after former President Donald Trump made unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud after his narrow loss to President Joe Biden. The bills, spearheaded by Republican state Sen. Duey Stroebel, would require absentee voters …

Georgia Republicans File Sweeping Elections Bill To Limit Early And Absentee Voting
3 years, 10 months ago

Georgia Republicans File Sweeping Elections Bill To Limit Early And Absentee Voting

NPR  

Georgia Republicans File Sweeping Elections Bill To Limit Early And Absentee Voting Enlarge this image toggle caption Megan Varner/Getty Images Megan Varner/Getty Images A version of this story was originally published by Georgia Public Broadcasting. Republicans in the Georgia legislature have released legislation that proposes tougher restrictions on both absentee and in-person early voting, among other sweeping changes to election …

Whitmer approves earlier processing of absentee ballots
4 years, 2 months ago

Whitmer approves earlier processing of absentee ballots

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — Clerks in Michigan cities or township of at least 25,000 people can start processing a surge of absentee ballots a day before November’s presidential election under legislation signed by Gov. Benson cautioned that because absentee ballots cannot begin to be counted until 7 a.m. on Election Day, the count may not be final until three days after …

GOP lawmakers get green light to appeal absentee ballot case
4 years, 2 months ago

GOP lawmakers get green light to appeal absentee ballot case

Associated Press  

DETROIT — The Republican-controlled Legislature on Wednesday was granted the right to intervene and appeal a groundbreaking court decision that allows Michigan absentee ballots to be counted for 14 days after the election. The ruling by Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens means the case is certain to land in a higher court in the final weeks of the campaign …

2 Republicans challenge Minnesota plan for late mail ballots
4 years, 3 months ago

2 Republicans challenge Minnesota plan for late mail ballots

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Republican state representative and a GOP activist are challenging an agreement to accept mail-in ballots in Minnesota that arrive up to a week after the November election, adding to the nationwide legal fight over voting rules before the presidential election. The lawsuit states the agreement by Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat, violates federal …

Judge: Michigan must count ballots that arrive post-election
4 years, 3 months ago

Judge: Michigan must count ballots that arrive post-election

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — A judge on Friday cleared the way for more absentee ballots to be counted in Michigan, saying envelopes postmarked by the eve of the Nov. 3 election are eligible, even if they show up days later. But Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens said there’s a crucial need for flexibility in November, especially after more than 6,400 …

Appeals court: Mass mailing of absent ballot applications OK
4 years, 3 months ago

Appeals court: Mass mailing of absent ballot applications OK

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s mass mailing of unsolicited absentee ballot applications to millions of 2020 voters was deemed legal by Michigan’s appeals court, which ruled Wednesday she had “inherent” authority to act under a 2018 constitutional amendment expanding voting rights. Benson, a Democrat, began sending the applications in May to all voters in the battleground state …

Michigan Senate OKs more time to process absentee ballots
4 years, 3 months ago

Michigan Senate OKs more time to process absentee ballots

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — Larger Michigan municipalities could begin processing an expected surge of absentee ballots sooner in the battleground state’s November presidential election under a bill approved Tuesday by the state Senate. The legislation, which had been stalled in the Senate for months despite bipartisan support, would let clerks in communities with at least 25,000 residents open return envelopes for …

Court: Absentee ballots that come after election won’t count
4 years, 5 months ago

Court: Absentee ballots that come after election won’t count

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan appeals court denied a request to require the counting of absentee ballots received after the time polls close on Election Day, ruling that the battleground state’s deadline remains intact despite voters’ approval of a constitutional amendment that expanded mail-in voting. The League of Women Voters of Michigan and three voters sued in May, seeking a …

Discover Related