When voters decided to expand voting rights in 2018 and again in 2022 through citizen-led petition initiatives, they did so unconstitutionally 11 Republican state lawmakers argued as part of a lawsuit filed Thursday.
As a result, Sen. Jonathan Lindsey, R-Coldwater, and Rep. Steve Carra, R-Three Rivers, said they and nine other officials were seeking to invalidate these two changes and do away with petition initiatives that bypass the Michigan legislature altogether when they pertain to state election law.
Jamie Lyons-Eddy, executive director of Voters Not Politicians, which worked to pass Proposal 2 of 2022, also slammed the lawsuit in a statement Thursday, calling it a “baseless lawsuit … absurd from top to bottom.”
“Millions of Michiganders made their voices heard at the polls last year, and through a fair electoral process affirmed a proposal that makes our elections more secure, modern, and accessible,” Lyons-Eddy said. “Now, extremist groups are trying to roll back that progress, attack our fundamental rights, and push unfounded legal theories in an attempt to suppress voters across our state. We knew the work to protect and expand Michiganders’ voting rights wasn’t over in 2022 when Prop 2 passed, and it still isn’t over today.
“No matter how bizarre the attacks – and frankly this lawsuit is bizarre – all of us at Voters Not Politicians are prepared to continue the fight and win for voters.”
This story was originally published by MLive. Read more here: https://www.mlive.com/politics/2023/09/early-voting-no-reason-absentee-is-illegal-11-michigan-republican-contend.html
