Were pretty hopeful and optimistic here that we can get this process moving quickly, and get these enacted into law, Roe said. Before then, the highest number of absent voter ballots cast in Michigan was 1.3 million in the 2016 presidential election. More than 450Michigan communities received funding from the organization, including Democratic- and Republican-leaning areas, according to a Bridge Michigan analysis. Those petitions were submitted to the Michigan Secretary of State and we continue to wait for her to approve them to go to the Michigan Legislature. Tuesday's election was a rebuke of Lightfoot, who made history as leader of the nation's third-largest city. The state of Michigan recorded its highest voter turnout -- especially among absentee voters -- in history in the 2020 General Election. However, a certain group of people dont want safe and secure elections: they want power and influence. Republican lawmakers have already passedbills mirroring those proposals, but Gov. The proposal could make it harder for some people to vote, and clerks have raised concerns that requiring voters to mail their state ID numbers could make them more susceptible to identity theft. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. What to know about Secure MI Vote initiative: security or suppression? The committee plans to turn in the petition language to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, which is the first step in the pursuit of a new initiative. The proposals could also appear on the ballot if the Legislature proposes a different measure on the same subject,placing both proposals on the ballot for voters to approve. Steve Liedel,an attorney who previously served as legal counsel to Democratic Gov. Absent Voter Ballot application available - Thursday, Feb. 16th. While the loudest criticism against a GOP effort in Michigan to change the state's election laws has targeted its proposed strict voter ID rules, clerks worry that the Secure MI Vote petition initiative would usher in other far-reaching changes.. Related: When will the madness end? -- Michigan Auditor General requests some counties review 2020 election results again. But clerks worry that conflicting requirements proposed by the initiative would cause confusion. Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson did just that ahead of the November 2020 election, mailing absentee applications to every registered voter, drawing criticism from Republicans who claimed doing so allows opportunities for fraud. Mar 1, 2023 Updated 1 hr ago. Raise the Wage, an effortto increase Michigan's minimum wage to $15 by 2027, expressed similar concerns about the recent discovery of the alleged signature fraud scheme. Gretchen Whitmer. The Board approved the petition form on September 27, 2021.[1]. "Usually, people applaud when their local government gets grants to help offset some of the costs.". Nancy Wang, of the group Voters Not Politicians, helped support the Promote the Vote amendment. The 'Secure MI Vote' petition is an attempt to change voting laws, by ignoring the will of the people of Michigan and going around the checks and balances of a constitutional government.. The approval to get 340,047 signatures would ban election officials from mailing absentee ballots to every voter of Michigan unless requested. In this Nov. 3, 2020, photo, voters wait in line outside a polling center on Election Day, in Kenosha, Wis. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File), (Wong Maye-E, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. LANSING, MI The Secure MI Vote committee can begin collecting signatures to tighten voter ID laws after the Michigan Board of Canvassers approved the group's petition language Monday. It is not about election security. Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck, a Republican who co-chairs the Michigan Association of County Clerks legislative committee, said the language "represents at best a couple of significant typos, but at worst a lack of understanding of the process itself." Michigan faces conference rival Wisconsin. LANSING, Mich. (Great Lakes News) - The group "Secure MI Vote" has six months to collect at least 340,000 signatures for a ballot petition that would tighten Michigan's election laws, including requiring identification to vote. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA. Last year, the Republican-controlled state Senate and House passed the Unlock Michigan initiative petition to repeal the emergency powers law Whitmer used early on in the COVID-19 pandemic to issue health and safety restrictions. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Delhi Twp - Holt - Dimondale - Southside Lansing, East Lansing, Haslett, Okemos & Williamston, East Lansing, Haslett, Okemos, Webberville & Williamston. "As with all statutory language and laws, thereis some interpretation and that will have to be determined,"he said. if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; Ballotpedia features 395,443 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. Those campaigns have announced that they will try to make the 2024 ballot instead of putting their proposals before voters in the upcoming midterm. Ojai City Council districts. Thousands of Michigan citizens worked hard for months to collect over 500,000 signatures: letting Michigan leaders know, we want safe and secure elections. But you never know. LANSING, MI The Secure MI Vote committee can begin collecting signatures to tighten voter ID laws after the Michigan Board of Canvassers approved the group's petition language Monday. Contact her at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Supporters say: It's common sense. We all need to vote NO on Proposal 2 on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. The campaign Michigan Right to Vote filed a petition with the State Board of Canvassers on January 21, 2022. We report because the news impacts all of us. Michigan plot to breach voting machines points to a national pattern A state police inquiry found evidence of an election fraud conspiracy that has echoes elsewhere in the country By Patrick. Require in-person voters to present a photo ID. Some Michigan residents faced a fourth straight day . But election clerks opposed similar legislation in Lansing, arguing the change is unnecessary because there is no evidence of significant absentee ballot fraud. The upcoming election year may look different if Michigan Republicans are successful in their petition to rewrite voting laws, and in theory, they could do it with only 8% of previous voters' signatures, according to the Michigan constitution.. Girls high school basketball team forfeits a game because it refused to play against a team with a transgender player, Fox Leaders Wanted to Break From Trump but Struggled to Make It Happen, Not Going to Read That: White House Press Secretary Brushes Off DeSantis Op-Ed, Sunshine returns to SoCal on Thursday but cold temps stick around, AccuWeather: AM showers before a mild afternoon, High school highlights: Lady Bulldogs fall to Salesian College Preparatory. Follow her on Twitter @clarajanehen. I will have no part in any effort that grants an ounce of credence to this deception (the Big Lie), so injurious to our democracy, Whitmer wrote in a letter to legislators last month. Despite several reports from government and election officials finding no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, Republican lawmakers and some voters are pushing for tighter voting laws across the U.S. -- including here in Michigan. Clara Hendrickson fact-checks Michigan issues and politics as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. But unlike the normal process lawmakers follow to change state laws, Michigan's initiative petitionprocess allows lawmakers to bypass the governor's veto and enact the initiatives on their own. Unless they have plans to spend just a ton of money per signature and flood the streets to get the signatures quickly, its hard to imagine that they can get 350,000 plus enough cushion in order to have it certified by the Secretary of State in calendar year 2020, said Jeff Timmer, a former Michigan GOP official who opposes Trump and the effort to tighten voting laws. The secretary of state defended her actions, however, arguing that it was necessary to present a remote voting option amid the ongoing public health crisis. "The proposals that we're making I. "So thats really why theyre not looking for financial remuneration for, essentially. Secure MI Votes petition would also make it illegal for private entities to donate money for election administration and would prohibit election officials from sending out absentee ballot applications without a specific request from a voter. Learn more & donate at securemivote.org Under Secure MI Votes proposal, election officials would not be allowed to send absent voter ballots or ballot applications to registered voters unless a voter specifically requested one. On Oct. 17, Whitmer vetoed two more bills aimed at making sweeping changes to the states election code -- the latest of dozens the governor has vowed will stop at her desk. Here's why. We really need to take our time to make sure that we are protecting the citizens of Michigans right to your state legislation, Bradshaw said. Eliminating the option would make it harder for some Michiganders to vote. The West Virginia House of Delegates has passed a bill that would allow for Public Service Commission inquiries into how railroads are managed, with new civil penalties for railroad operators Our elections are secure, Secure MI Vote is about making voting harder, which affects all voters. If our proposal is made law, it would not be allowed to happen.. More:Michigan clerks concerned . Jacob and Secure Michigan Vote say State Representative Cynthia Johnson demeaned. The Secure MI Vote petition drive is still ongoing. Create a new voter access fund with $3 million to provide free state ID cards to residents who may struggle to obtain one because of financial hardships. Independently operated voter helplines staffed by volunteers, for instance, might be considered in-kind contributions that help defray the costs of administering elections, she said. Bensons sending of absent voter ballot applications last year drew criticism from GOP lawmakers and former President Donald Trump, who initially believed she was sending unsolicited ballots, not applications. Secure MI Vote filed petition language with the Michigan Bureau of Elections back in September and getting the initiative off the ground has been a smooth process so far, said Spokesman Jamie Roe. The initiative petition process, however, allows lawmakers to pass the same proposals without the governor's support. However, the committee did warn that severe weaknesses and vulnerabilities in the Michigan election system should be fixed to avoid potential fraud in future elections. Michigans Republican-led Senate proposed a more extensive and aggressive voting reform package in March, but the legislation was slowed by disagreements with the GOP-led House. Michigan Require Voter ID and Prohibit Private Funding for Election Administration Purposes Initiative (2024), https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Michigan_Require_Voter_ID_and_Prohibit_Private_Funding_for_Election_Administration_Purposes_Initiative_(2024)&oldid=9045540, Not on the ballot future date statewide ballot measures, Did not make ballot, voting policy measures, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections. Clerks say the initiative also could subject voters to confusing ID rules riddled with contradictory requirements and force election officials to remove online access to absentee ballot applications and turn down help from volunteerswho carry out basictasks such as preparing absentee ballot mailings. Our plan for the first time ever creates a fund that will be used to provide state issued photo ID to anyone who can't afford it," Roe said. The left-leaning advocacy group Progress Michigan found that about 20% of polling locations for the 2020 election were churches or places of worship whose continued use as polling locations could be impacted by the Secure MI Vote initiative. Charlie Spies, a lawyer for Secure MI Vote, said that future guidance would provide clarity, including how toimplement the new ID rules, the focus of the initiative, hesaid. It's about making it harder to vote and more difficult for clerks to run elections. 3 min read The Secure MI Vote petition suggests Michigan's voting process is not secure, and that to 'fix it' voting must be harder. Apply today! Elissa Slotkin announces bid to succeed Debbie Stabenow. The initiative would require clerks to pay churches that serve as polling locations, according to organizers. On July 29, 2022, Secure MI Vote submitted 514,294 signatures. The bureau is preparing to administer two statewide elections and has an obligation to review petition initiatives that were submitted by the Wednesday filing deadline ahead of the 2022 election, Liedel said. In order to get the proposed legislation in front of lawmakers or on the ballot,sponsors of these petition initiatives had to collect at least 340,047 voter signatures. "Those bills will not get signed into law," Lt. Gov. Will you please support our nonprofit newsroom? Those leading thepetition drive say it would also bar clerksfrom partnering with nongovernment groups to carry out election-related activities such as registration drives. Right now Michigan requires an ID or a signed affidavit that is compared to the voter's signature on file. Crews are continuing to work to . The language could arguably be interpreted as a blanket ban. The Michigan Constitution allows citizens including political operatives and special interest groups to initiate legislation through a petition drive and advance the measure to the Legislature and potentially the statewide ballot. The additional cost imposed of having to now rent that space is a big question mark, she said. Gov. "And while the process provides for the Legislature to vote on them, the whole process is structured based on which election theyre going to be submitted to.". LANSING, Mich. The Secure MI Vote campaign says theyre confident they have enough signatures to get their initiative to the legislature. michigan petition circulator rulesirina emelyanova pasternak 26th February 2023 / in coastal carolina football camp 2022 / by / in coastal carolina football camp 2022 / by The 3.3 million Michigan absent voter ballots cast in November 2020 beat the states previous record of 1.6 million votes cast in the Aug. 2020 primary election. My suggested improvements: You should be able to vote seven days before the election at your clerks office. komoros.blogspot.com. Conservatives called the money "Zuck Bucks" and said the fundsopened the door to outside influence in the election. Gretchen Whitmer. Rather than sign the SMV petition, Im urging everyone to support candidates who work to make voting easier and secure. The State Board of Canvassers have granted Secure MI Vote a bogus approval for a misleading petition drive. Ms. Benson said only 15,300 absentee ballots were. Spies said it was a "misdirection to think that anybody is not going to get clear instructions on how to vote." Supporters of the proposal argue that funds acquired from outside sources could lead to bias and unfairness with how elections are carried out. The Republican-controlled Michigan Legislature recently attempted to pass stricter voting laws, similar to what is being proposed by Secure MI Vote. Here's an overview of the checks in place to prevent voter fraud. I would hope that the legislature would take immediate action particularly, please if we act with dispatch to get support from across the state.. There has to be adequate notice given to the public and an opportunity to review things so that meaningful debate and objection can occur, Trebilcock said. With a majority of the House and Senate supporting these citizen petitions, new laws will go into play making our elections secure. Under current law, voters must either present an ID or sign an affidavit. 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Activist, organizer, dreamer