Voting rights groups, advocacy organizations and Democrats are launching aggressive campaigns to fight a new Republican petition drive that aims to tighten Michigan voting and election laws.
The Michigan Democratic Party is preparing a “decline to sign” campaign and has a “team of lawyers” that is picking apart the petition language to prepare for potential lawsuits, said Lavora Barnes, party chair.
Voters Not Politicians, a ballot committee that mobilized an army of volunteers to fight gerrymandering in 2018, is considering another statewide ballot proposal to thwart the GOP initiative as part of a multi-phase response.
The advocacy group will do “whatever we need to do to protect our voting rights,” executive director Nancy Wang told Bridge Michigan.
Voters Not Politicians is recruiting and training volunteers to discourage Michiganders from signing the petition, she said. But if that fails, “we’ll be looking to the 2022 election as well.”
Republican organizers with the Secure MI Vote committee plan to begin circulating petitions next month for an initiative that would tighten voter ID rules. It would eliminate an affidavit option for in-person voting and require absentee ballot applicants to provide an ID number or part of their social security number.
This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan. Read the full story here: https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/ballot-drive-suits-eyed-fight-michigan-vote-reforms-blasted-suppression
