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 did not include testimony on House Bills 5987 and 5991 or Senate Bill 756:
Michigan voters and our election workers deserve clarity and decisive action on legislation to ensure that our elections are safe, accessible, and secure. We need to see leadership from the Legislature right now to pass bills that will ensure voters have confidence in the system, whether they vote by absentee ballot or in-person, and election workers are set up to efficiently and securely administer our elections.
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 debunked misinformation about the rate of voter fraud and point 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.
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