Don’t sign away your freedom to vote!
Ensuring safe, secure, and fair elections is important to all of us. The “Secure MI Vote” petition does not achieve any of these goals and instead, will make voting harder and will give politicians the power to interfere with our vote and the will of the people.
The petition is part of a national, coordinated effort based on “The Big Lie.” Extreme politicians and political operatives intend to use a loophole in the Michigan Constitution that gives just 3.4% of the state’s population the power to undo the progress we have made toward more secure and accessible elections.
We must work together to stop this effort to infringe on our fundamental freedom and constitutional right to vote.
As a Michigan voter, you deserve to know the truth behind the “Secure MI Vote” petition.
Their plan is to collect signatures from only 3.4% of the state population and then have the state legislature pass it, using a constitutional loophole to bypass the Governor and the voters. On March 25th, Michigan Republican Party Chairman Ron Weiser defiantly announced his plan, which "includes taking that legislation and getting the signatures necessary for a legislative initiative so it can become law without [Governor] Gretchen Whitmer's signature."(Detroit News)
For statutes, if the petition receives enough valid signatures, then the state legislature has 40 days to adopt or reject the proposal. (Ballotpedia)
The Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks conducted a survey and found over 80% of clerks are opposed to the Secure MI Vote initiative (MLive).
The petition will add numerous challenges for local election clerks who are responsible for the security, safety, and accuracy of our elections.
A provision in the petition would eliminate support from charitable groups that local election clerks rely on, especially for polling place locations. Currently, a church or community center can donate space to a local clerk’s office to serve as an official polling place. Under the “Secure MI Vote” petition, churches and community centers would no longer be able to donate their spaces. This would reduce the number of polling place locations available, including churches and places of worship that account for almost 20% of polling places (Progress Michigan Report).
Local election clerks rely on charitable funding to pay for drop boxes, hire additional staff, and implement measures that make polling places more secure and efficient. This means more money will need to come out of your city or township budget to cover necessary election expenses!
Clerks are also concerned that the policies in the petition would prevent nonprofit groups from assisting with voter registration, would prohibit them from sending absentee ballot applications or posting the application online, and would add confusion to the voting process with confusing and conflicting rules.
“A poll by the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks found that its members were ‘overwhelmingly’ concerned about the initiative as it’s proposed, according to Harrison Township Clerk Adam Wit, a Republican, who sits on the group's legislative committee.” - The Detroit Free Press: Michigan clerks concerned Secure MI Vote petition could have far-reaching impact
Michigan voters already have some of the strictest voter-ID laws in the nation that ensure security while giving eligible voters options to verify their identity when voting (Promote the Vote Report). It is critical that eligible voters have these options to accommodate their needs while maintaining election security. This petition removes those options for eligible voters who need it, which will cause confusion on Election Day and create longer lines.
More than 3.5 million Michigan voters cast an absentee ballot in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic proved that voters safely utilized — and want — the secure and accessible absentee ballot option. Eligible Michigan voters deserve a voting system that builds on the success of absentee voting. This petition makes it harder -- and less secure -- for voters to request an absentee ballot by requiring voters to supply sensitive personal information.
In May, a video was leaked where a former Trump administration official and now Executive Director of Heritage Action for America, Jessica Anderson, unveiled a DC-funded $24 million plan to pass anti-voter bills in states including Michigan. During the presentation, Anderson admitted that the special interest group the Heritage Action for America helps state legislatures draft the bills and “in some cases we actually draft them for them.” (YouTube)
The Voting Rights Lab has tracked similar anti-voter bills in 49 other states across the country, and many political operatives in these states use the same tagline, “making it easier to vote and harder to cheat.” In reality, these bills will make it harder to vote, and virtually no one was cheating in the first place.
Over 250 audits and an investigation led by the Michigan Senate Oversight Committee found no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election and confirmed the safety, security, and integrity of the election. Learn more here.
In reality, these bills will make it harder to vote, and effectively no one was cheating in the first place.
Michigan is one of 7 states with strict photo ID laws already on the books, and state election officials have robust voter registration requirements. The petition will place unnecessary burdens on voters who seek to exercise their constitutional right to vote by absentee ballot. It also will prohibit the Secretary of State’s office and local election clerks from sending absentee ballot applications to all voters. This will make it more difficult for eligible voters to request and vote using an absentee ballot.
Michigan is one of seven states with strict photo ID laws already on the books.
The petition will also eliminate funding from nonpartisan groups that local election clerks rely on to fund drop boxes, hire additional staff, and implement measures that make polling places more secure and efficient.
Don’t sign away your freedom to vote!
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