Michigan: Senate GOP plans to pass straight-ticket voting ban, ditch absentee voting bill | MLive.com

Michigan will ban straight-ticket voting without expanding absentee ballot options — if Senate Republicans have their way. Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive, said the upper chamber will move Wednesday to separate elections bills linked and approved last week by the House. Senate Bill 13 would eliminate the option for voters to choose all candidates of a single political party by marking a check box on their ballot. The proposal, which could help Republicans win down-ticket education seats they’ve struggled to secure in recent years, has faced pushback from local clerks who believe that eliminating the faster voting option will lead to longer lines on Election Day.

Michigan: Detroit city clerk, voting rights advocates come out against “unnecessary” elections bills | Michigan Radio

Detroit city clerk Janice Winfrey and voting rights advocates are denouncing a pair of election bills in the Michigan Legislature right now. One is a state Senate bill that would restrict absentee voting hours, and ban absentee voting at satellite office locations. Winfrey says Detroit is one of just a few Michigan cities to use satellite voting, and it’s been “very successful” there. “So when you begin to impede that process, when you want to eliminate that process, now you’re affecting a particular group of people,” she said. Winfrey also criticized a bill to eliminate single-party, straight-ticket voting, saying that will make for longer lines and more confusion, disproportionately affecting urban voters.

Michigan: “Citizens United” bill latest in long line of elections proposals riling Democrats | Michigan Radio

The Michigan Senate has approved campaign finance legislation that would write the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling into state law. The court ruled that the First Amendment allows unrestricted independent political spending by outside groups. Democrats say the bill not only codifies “Citizens United” – it expands it. “This bill firmly points Michigan in the wrong direction towards a future of dark money and convoluted electoral processes,” said state Sen. Steve Bieda, D-Warren, in an uncharacteristically impassioned speech on the Senate floor.

Michigan: Straight-ticket voting ban, absentee voting bills approved by Michigan House | MLive.com

Michigan’s Republican-led House moved late Wednesday to approve bills that would eliminate straight-ticket voting and allow no-reason absentee voting after an in-person ballot request. The straight-ticket ban, modified and advanced in a 54-51 vote at around 10 p.m., faced criticism from Democrats, who called it a political proposal that would have the practical effect of creating longer voting lines. “The reason we’re doing this is because Republicans have not been able to win education board seats,” said Rep. Sam Singh, D-East Lansing. “…So they decided to change the rules.”

Michigan: Straight ticket voting ban tied to absentee bill, headed to House floor | MLive.com

An amended version of the bill to eliminate the straight-ticket voting box on Michigan ballots moved out of the House Elections Committee Tuesday with only Republican support. Senate Bill 13 would eliminate the box on current ballots that allows people to automatically vote a straight Republican or Democratic ticket, though voters could still go through and vote individually for all members of one party. Sponsor Sen. Marty Knollenberg, R-Troy, said last week that 40 states had eliminated this option. Michigan is one step closer to joining those states after the House Elections Committee adopted a substitute version of the bill that increased the appropriation that would go to clerks for voting equipment by $5 million and tie-barred the bill to House Bill 4724, a bill that would allow people to vote absentee with no reason by getting a ballot in person at their local clerk’s office.

Michigan: House bill would allow no-reason absentee voting | Associated Press

Republicans’ push to eliminate Michigan’s straight-party voting option may improve the odds of voters being allowed to cast an absentee ballot for any reason. A key lawmaker is pushing for House passage of her “no-reason” absentee bill in the coming week. The legislation would let all voters apply for an absentee application in person at their local clerk’s office without needing an excuse. Under current law, absentee voters must be 60 years or older, be out of town when the polls are open, be an election worker or be unable to vote on Election Day due to a physical disability, religious tenets or incarceration. House Elections Committee Chairwoman Lisa Posthumus Lyons, R-Alto, said her bill would alleviate potential longer lines if voters are prohibited from voting a straight ticket of one party’s candidate with a single mark. The GOP-controlled Senate last month OK’d ending the straight-party option. Lyons’ panel heard testimony on the straight-ticket legislation Thursday but did not vote, a day after moving the no-excuse absentee voting bill to the House floor.

Michigan: Clerks, voters rip plan to end straight-ticket voting | Detroit Free Press

Clerks, advocates for seniors and the disabled, and regular citizens heaped criticism Thursday on a Republican proposal to end straight-party voting in Michigan. The House Elections Committee took about an hour 90 minutes of testimony, but adjourned Thursday evening without voting on Senate Bill 13. State Rep. Lisa Lyons, R-Alto, the committee chairwoman, said the committee would continue to take a look at the bills and hopes to move the straight ticket bill along with one that would approve no reason absentee voting. The committee heard testimony Thursday that was overwhelmingly opposed to the change as one that would cause longer lines to vote and that would especially disadvantage black voters. Only East Lansing election lawyer Eric Doster testified in support of the bill, saying it would be beneficial for democracy.

Michigan: House to take up absentee, straight-party voting today | Detroit Free Press

The House is poised to take up legislation that will make it easier to vote by absentee ballot, but eliminate straight-party ticket voting at the same time. Republicans in the Senate have already passed the elimination of straight-ticket voting, which Democrats believe is a partisan ploy to skew elections toward the GOP. The House Elections Committee will take up the legislation today after it voted Wednesday to pass a bill that would allow people to get an absentee ballot without providing a reason for needing to vote on a day other than Election Day. State Rep. Lisa Lyons, R-Alto, said she’d like to see the two bills passed together to ensure smooth and efficient elections.

Michigan: Straight-ticket voting option may be eliminated | Associated Press

Michigan voters who with a single mark can vote Democratic or Republican for every partisan office on the ballot may no longer have the option in 2016. Republicans who control the Legislature want to make Michigan the latest state to eliminate straight-ticket, or straight-party, voting. It is still used in 10 states but has been abolished by nine others in the last 20 years, including nearby Wisconsin and Illinois. To its detractors, straight-party voting encourages ill-prepared voters to pick officeholders solely on party affiliation, not their qualifications, and is a relic of party machine politics. Proponents say it is a convenient, popular option whose removal would lengthen lines, particularly in urban polling precincts, in a state with the country’s sixth-longest average wait time. The GOP-controlled Senate this month approved legislation to end the straight-ticket option, and majority House Republicans may follow in December before adjourning for the year.

Michigan: Senate votes to eliminate straight-ticket voting | Midland Daily News

Residents in the state of Michigan may not have the option of voting a straight-ticket after the Michigan Senate passed legislation eliminating that option this past week. Added to the legislation was an $1 million appropriation introduced by Sen. Jim Stamas, R-Midland. Due to state law, the appropriation would prevent the legislation from being repealed by citizens. The Republican-controlled Senate fast-tracked the bill that went from committee to a vote all on Tuesday. The 23-13 vote saw all 11 Democratic senators vote, “nay,” on Senate Bill 13, along with two Republican senators, Joe Hune, Hamburg, and Tory Rocca, Sterling Heights. “We want voters to pick individuals and not a party,” Stamas said.

Michigan: Straight-ticket voting ban speeds through Michigan Senate with shield against repeal | MLive.com

Michigan voters would lose the ability to cast a straight-ticket ballot for candidates of a single political party under fast-tracked legislation approved Tuesday evening in the state Senate. The Republican-backed bill advanced through committee earlier the same day before reaching the floor, where it was amended to include a $1 million appropriation that would make it immune to referendum. Michigan voters overturned a similar law in 2002 after Democrats forced a ballot referendum via petition drive. The new bill would provide funding to the Michigan Secretary of State to assess the impact of eliminating straight-ticket voting, assist in ongoing fraud prevention and “provide equipment to facilitate the integrity of the election process,” among other things. Sen. Dave Robertson, R-Grand Blanc, called the appropriation “entirely legitimate,” but critics pointed out that most state spending decisions are made during the budget process, not within policy bills.

Michigan: Redistricting reform and frustration | Michigan Radio

The League of Women Voters has been holding a series of forums on redistricting reform. Everyone who has studied the issue and has any sense of fairness knows that our present system of gerrymandering has badly crippled democracy in this state. Peoples are frustrated, angry, disillusioned, and less and less likely to vote, because they think their votes don’t matter and nothing they can do will have any effect. What’s even worse, they are mostly right. In Michigan their votes mostly don’t matter, not for state government, anyway. Though more voters chose Democratic candidates for Congress and the state house of representatives last year, Republicans once again won huge majorities. Twenty-five years ago, that would have meant a government that might have been unrepresentative, but which would at least been able to get things done. We don’t even have that. The combination of term limits and one-party districts has resulted in a legislature full of craven extremists who have no interest in bipartisan cooperation or solving long-term problems.

Michigan: Slower mail delivery may prevent some absentee ballots from being counted | Michigan Radio

Time’s running out faster than you may think to mail an absentee ballot for next week’s election. Roughly half of the votes in some of next week’s elections are predicted to be cast absentee. But some absentee votes won’t be counted. Lansing city clerk Chris Swope says changes in the way the post office processes the mail is adding a day to the delivery of absentee ballots.

Michigan: New bills introduced to allow automatic voter registration | Press and Guide

State Reps. Julie Plawecki (D-Dearborn Heights), John Chirkun (D-Roseville) and Derek Miller (D-Warren) introduced three bills Sept. 30 that would make voter registration automatic when a resident receives a driver’s license or a Michigan state identification card as long as they meet the usual qualifications to vote. “Automatic voter registration means people won’t miss registration deadlines or make a special trip to an SOS office,” said Plawecki. “Legislators talk a lot about representing the people. Our plan to automate voter registration means that we will definitely be representing all of the people who are qualified to vote. This ensures that every voice will be heard. ” The bill package would not change who can vote or how they can vote, according to a statement from Michigan House Democrats. For anyone who doesn’t want to be automatically registered when they receive their driver’s license or state ID card, they can still opt out.

Michigan: Cindy Gamrat, Todd Courser inspire re-election prevention bill | MLive

Former state Reps. Cindy Gamrat and Todd Courser, who decided to run for re-election just days after their expulsion and resignation, have highlighted a “hole” in Michigan election law that should be filled, according to one high-ranking legislator. Welcome to Michigan Political Points, my weekly roundup of news, views and YouTubes from the state Capitol and beyond. Rep. Lisa Lyons, chairwoman of the House Elections Committee, is drafting a bill to preclude a would-be candidate from running in a special election immediately after they were expelled or resigned from the same position.

Michigan: Senate panel debates changes to presidential election system, Electoral College votes | MLive

Michigan’s Republican-led Legislature is again debating prospective election law changes that could benefit a second-place finisher in the state, which has gone Democratic since 1992. The Senate Elections and Government Reform Committee on Thursday took testimony on proposals that would divide Michigan’s Electoral College votes, but chairman Dave Robertson, R-Grand Blanc, told reporters that he does not expect any changes for the 2016 election cycle. “The perception has been that clearly there must be a desire on the part of Republicans… to move away from winner-take-all and others saying ‘no, no we shouldn’t,'” Robertson said. “I can assure you there is no uniformity of opinion on the Republican side.”

Michigan: Partisan redistricting at ‘heart’ of voter frustration, says Michigan group exploring alternatives | MLive

Partisan redistricting is at “the heart of so much frustration the public is feeling toward their elected leaders,” according to the Michigan League of Women Voters, which is hosting a series of town halls across the state to discuss alternatives. “Think about this for a minute. In Michigan, every 10 years, we allow politicians of whichever party is in power to draw their own districts to the advantage of their political party and their own re-election,” said League vice president Sue Smith. “This means we’re allowing politicians to pick their voters, rather than allowing voters to pick their representatives.”

Michigan: Expelled lawmaker files to run in special election | Associated Press

A defiant Michigan lawmaker who was expelled from office for her role in covering up an extramarital affair with another legislator filed Thursday to run for her old House seat, less than a week after her colleagues kicked her out. Cindy Gamrat, who unsuccessfully sought a censure instead of expulsion, was among five Republicans who submitted paperwork a day before the deadline for a special primary election in the district left vacant when she was expelled on a 91-12 vote and immediately escorted out of the House chamber after 4 a.m. on Sept. 11. The primary will be held Nov. 3, with a special general election to follow on March 8 in the GOP-heavy districts. “All along I’ve maintained that I felt like the voters should decide. I’m going to continue to fight for them to have a voice in this,” Gamrat, a 42-year-old tea party leader from Plainwell, north of Kalamazoo, told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

Michigan: State starts the process of obtaining new voting equipment | MLive

After more than a decade, Michigan voting booths are in line for an upgrade. Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson announced Thursday the state is starting the process of replacing the election equipment that has served the state for more than 10 years in the state’s 4,800 precincts. On Thursday, the state began the process of taking proposals from election equipment vendors. The state is seeking upgraded voting systems that still use a paper ballot. The proposals need to be in by early September. “The voting equipment Michigan voters use each Election Day has served us well over the past decade, but there’s no question it’s starting to show its age,” Johnson said in a statement. “I thank Bureau of Elections staff and local election officials for their efforts to begin the process to replace the equipment before we start to see wide-scale issues with the aging equipment.”

Michigan: All-mail voting ballot initiative among petitions going before Michigan board | MLive

Michigan would join a small group of states that conduct all voting by mail under a potential 2016 ballot proposal. Let’s Vote Michigan, a ballot committee formed by Jackie Pierce of Pellston, is one of three groups going before the Board of State Canvassers on Thursday seeking pre-approval to begin circulating petitions. The proposal was inspired by low turnout in recent Michigan elections, according to Pierce, who pointed to increased participation rates in states with voting-by-mail. “I live in Northern Michigan, and sometimes in November, you never know if you can even make it to the polls,” she said. “Seeing the low voter turnout concerned me, so I started talking to people. Since then, we’ve had meetings around the state, and everybody seems to think it’s a good idea.”

Michigan: Lawmakers call for ‘citizen-led’ redistricting commission to curb gerrymandering | MLive.com

Michigan Democrats in the state House are renewing their call for a citizen-led redistricting commission in the wake of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that affirmed a similar model in Arizona. Reps. Jon Hoadley and Jeremy Moss are reintroducing legislation that would create a bipartisan and independent committee to draw new political boundary lines each decade following the national census.

Michigan: Democratic lawmaker to propose redistricting reform in Michigan | Michigan Radio

The Supreme Court’s decision to allow voters to take the authority to draw congressional district lines away from state legislatures and give it to independent commissions has many Democrats and progressives in Michigan very happy. There’s been lots of rejoicing among those who’ve hated gerrymandering – the drawing of district lines to benefit one party over the over. For the past fifteen years Michigan Republicans have dominated the redistricting process because they’ve been in control when the lines have been drawn. So, for Democrats, the Holy Grail is some kind of redistricting reform: taking the power of drawing district lines away lawmakers and giving it to an independent commission.

Michigan: Groups eye redistricting ballot drive after ruling | Associated Press

Buoyed by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, advocates of overhauling how Michigan draws legislative and congressional seats plan to raise public awareness about redistricting in preparation for a potential 2016 ballot initiative. The ruling, issued in the last week, upheld the authority of states to strip lawmakers’ authority to set congressional district maps once a decade. Arizona voters had created an independent commission in 2000 to take the politically charged job out of the hands of the Legislature. The League of Women Voters and Common Cause, groups that advocate for fairer maps, are researching other states’ redistricting systems and conducting polling before ramping up educational efforts with help from local civic groups.

Michigan: Supreme Court opens the door for independent redistricting, but it’s an unlikely idea for Michigan | MLive.com

The United States Supreme Court may have breathed new life into a quest for Michigan Democrats to change how districts are drawn. In a 5-4 decision Monday, the Supreme Court Justices ruled the independent redistricting commission created by Arizona voters in 2000 is legal. That commission takes power to draw district lines — creating the areas lawmakers represent — from the Arizona Legislature. Supporters say this limits partisan gerrymandering — the process of drawing electoral boundaries to the gain of one political party — while critics say it takes power away from state lawmakers who were assigned the task by the U.S. Constitution.

Michigan: No-reason absentee voting a no-go in Senate | MLive.com

Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson’s new no-reason absentee voting proposal, introduced by the head of the House Elections Committee, appears to be a no-go in the Senate. Sen. Dave Robertson, who chairs the Senate Elections Committee, said he does not support the proposal and would not take it up in his committee if it were to advance out of the House. “I believe that Election Day is a focal point in our electoral process for candidates, and I don’t want to diminish the value,” Robertson, R-Grand Blanc Township, said Thursday.

Michigan: With ‘stamp of security,’ no-reason absentee voting would require in-person ID | MLive.com

More Michigan residents could vote by mail — but they’d have to apply in person — under a new no-reason absentee ballot bill backed by Secretary of State Ruth Johnson. Johnson, testifying before the House Elections Committee on Tuesday, said the state is ready to join 27 others that allow no-reason absentee voting, “but with Michigan’s stamp of security.” House Bill 4724 would allow a registered voter who doesn’t otherwise qualify for an absentee ballot to obtain one by visiting his or her local clerk, filling out an application and showing a state identification card. A potential amendment would allow voters without an ID to sign an affidavit of identity.

Michigan: Governor signs bill to fix Flint election, opening up ballot for mayoral candidates | MLive.com

Candidates for mayor of Flint can start focusing on the campaign and forget about whether they’ll be on the primary election ballot. Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation today, June 5, to authorize extension of the filing deadline for the August primary election, a move that will allow for a standard showdown for the city’s top job. Incumbent Dayne Walling, businesswoman Karen Weaver, and two city councilmen — Wantwaz Davis and Eric Mays — are in line for spots on the ballot, city officials have said.

Michigan: Flint election-fix bill clears state Legislature, heads to Gov. Snyder | MLive.com

A bill to fix Flint’s tangled 2015 election has cleared the state Legislature and is headed to Gov. Rick Snyder’s desk. Both the state House of Representatives and Senate on Wednesday, June 3, approved the legislation, which would allow the city to include the names of mayoral candidates on the August primary ballot even though they missed the April 21 deadline for filing nominating petitions. City Clerk Inez Brown’s office mistakenly told those candidates and candidates for two City Council seats the wrong filing deadline — April 28. Without a change in the law, Flint voters face a write-in-only campaign for mayor in November and no primary election.

Michigan: Judge says Flint mayoral candidate Eric Mays’ petitions fall short | MLive.com

Eric Mays has found himself in the same boat as the other three candidates for mayor of Flint — needing a change in state law to see his name on the ballot later this year. Genesee Circuit Judge Archie Hayman on Monday, June 1, dismissed a lawsuit filed by Mays, which sought to show he filed at least 900 valid signatures by the April 21 deadline. Flint Clerk Inez Brown claimed Mays filed 854 valid signatures by the deadline. Hayman said his own count showed Mays had no more than 861, while Mays himself claimed he had as many as 889 valid signatures — and said he wasn’t finished counting.