A series of voting reform bills are making their way through the state legislature. The bills aim to pare down the state’s voter list, clarify absentee voting laws, and make voter fraud a 5-year felony.
The attempt by Republican lawmakers to amend the voting laws well in advance of the next election has not been well-received by Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
Benson has maintained that the 2020 election was completely free and fair. Benson said, “Many of the bills in this package will make it harder for citizens to vote. Rather than introducing bills based on disproven lies and copied from other states, lawmakers should be codifying what worked in 2020.”
Some of the bills are focused on the responsibilities of municipal clerks and would publicize whether or not the clerks have met accreditation standards.
Chris Swope, President of the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks disagreed with the idea, saying, “This package of bills contains some of the most egregious voter suppression ideas Michigan has seen. With nearly 30 percent of Michiganders not participating, we need to focus on expanding ballot access, not attempts to disenfranchise certain voters.”
The bills have passed the House and have been referred to the Senate Committee on Elections.
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
