Michigan Senate Republicans introduce election reform; critic calls it an ‘attempt to silence voters’
(The Center Square) – Senate Republicans introduced nearly 40 election reform bills, which they claim will ensure election integrity and restore trust in the election system.
“A healthy and vibrant republic requires free, fair, and honest elections,” Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedah Township, said in a statement issued Wednesday. “In order for an election to be fair, it should be simple for every registered voter to cast a ballot, the process must be honest, and the result must be true. Every Michiganian, regardless of political ideology, must be able to trust the execution and result of every election, every time, and the reforms we have introduced today will help us accomplish that.”
According to a news release, the 39-bill package focuses on making it easier to vote, protecting the vote, election day operations, increased transparency, and absentee voting.
“Senate Republicans are committed to making it easier to vote and harder to cheat,” Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, said in a statement.
The following are how a few of the bills are described in the news release. The full package, Senate Bills 273-311, can be found here.
SB 286 would require all absentee ballots cast on Election Day to be turned in to clerks directly to not delay the collection from numerous boxes after 8 p.m. on election night and the hours of processing and delivery to tabulators that ensues.
SB 296 would expand the size of boards of canvassers in counties with larger populations. The board in counties with a population over 200,000 would be expanded to six members, while boards in counties with a population over 750,000 would expand to eight members.
SB 297 would require that at least one canvasser from each political party be present during the canvass at all times and require that anyone hired by a political party to assist canvassing first is approved by the board of canvassers.
SB 298 would expand the timeframe canvassers have to certify election results from 14 days to 21 days.
Other bills aim to authorize video recording of election audit proceedings, regulate absent voter drop boxes, and limit access to the qualified voter file.
“Lawmakers must reassure citizens that their government is committed to honest elections,” McBroom said. “Through the Oversight Committee process, we have sought for months to uncover any fraud or cheating, because a violation of the rules is not good for our state or the country.
“I have been reassured by the resilience of our election system, but while the system’s safeguards held, real vulnerabilities do exist. To ensure the long-term health and viability of elections in our state, these issues must be resolved, and the reforms introduced today will address those problems and help modernize and secure our election laws now and in the future. We must strive to assure all people that every election is worthy of their participation.”
The legislation was referred to the Senate Committee on Elections for consideration.
Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, D-Flint, said the package was “nothing more than an extension of lies and deceit about the last election.”
“The fact that Republicans didn’t win as many races as they wanted to does not justify their attempt to silence voters,” Ananich said in a statement. “In the end, we know these despicable efforts to keep Michiganders from the polls will not succeed. The voters told us where they stood in 2018 when they overwhelmingly supported smart measures to make voting more accessible. Democracy is not a country club for only those with the proper pedigree. Democracy is for every citizen who calls this place home.”
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