A coalition of voting rights groups, including Project Vote, submitted testimony to a Michigan Senate Committee today, opposing Secretary of State Ruth Johnson’s election reform proposals.
The groups warn that proposed bills, SB 754, SB 751, and SB 803 ignore the real problems with elections in Michigan–including “problems with voter registration, absentee ballots, confusion over voter identification requirements, deceptive voting practices, aggressive challenges, and voting machine breakdowns, among others”–and instead address “phantom problems” that will only create more confusion.
The bills would change rules relating to voter registration drives, voter identification, and absentee voting. They are scheduled for a hearing by the Senate Committee on Local Government and Elections this afternoon.
The coalition that provided testimony in opposition of the bills includes Common Cause of Michigan, Demos, Fair Elections Legal Network, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and Michigan Center for Election Law and Administration.