The following can be attributed to Nancy Wang, Executive Director of Voters Not Politicians, on the House Elections and Ethics Committee meeting Wednesday, September 2, that will not include testimony on House Bills 5987 and 5991 or Senate Bill 756:
With only two months to go until Election Day, there is no excuse for the House Elections and Ethics Committee’s failure to move these key pieces of legislation to keep our elections safe, secure, and accessible. We commend the legislators who have spoken up to demand that our elections are safe and secure, but now we need action. The full House and Senate must pass these common-sense reforms now to ensure that every voter is able to exercise their constitutional right to vote absentee and have their ballot counted.
House Bill 5987 would permit absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if they are received within 48 hours after polls close and House Bill 5991 would require clerks to notify voters if there is a problem with verifying their signature on an absentee ballot return envelope so the voter can correct it. Voters Not Politicians also supports Senate Bills 756 and 757, introduced by Republican State Sen. Ruth Johnson, which would allow election workers to work in shifts and allow clerks to open outer envelopes to make counting more efficient. Senate Bill 756 passed out of the Senate chamber with a vote of 38-0, but there has been no progress in the House.
National election experts have pointed to Michigan as one of the few states that have yet to take action to ensure voters’ absentee ballots will be received and counted on time.
Voters Not Politicians’ VoteSafe campaign urges the state legislature to take action to facilitate vote by mail in Michigan to protect public health and the integrity of our elections. A list of VoteSafe approved candidates can be found at https://votersnotpoliticians.com/votesafe/approved.
