Michigan: Secretary of State Ruth Johnson hopes to install election fixes in time for this year’s big elections | MLive.com

Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson said she hopes to complete her proposed streamlining of the state's election system this spring, in time for this year's primary and general elections. Johnson said the 12 bills in her “Secure and Fair Elections,” or SAFE Initiative will clean up obsolete voter lists, allow more voters to use absentee ballots, tighten up registration procedures and close loopholes in the state's photo ID requirement for voters.

As the state's chief elections official, Johnson also is hoping to win passage of new campaign finance laws that require advance registration to prevent political “stealth efforts” such as the fake “Tea Party” created in 2010.
She also is calling for improved training procedures for voter registration groups and tighter post-election audit procedures. Six of the bills have already been reported out of state Senate committees while another six will be heard in state House committees in coming weeks, Johnson said during a visit to Grand Rapids Thursday.

Michigan: Legislation Could Restrict Voter Registration, Absentee Voters | HuffingtonPost

Prospective Michigan voters might have trouble getting their ballots after the state Senate votes on two bills that would change the procedures for voter registration, absentee ballots and required identification. One of the changes proposed by S.B. 754 is a requirement that anyone holding a voter registration drive would have to register with the Michigan Secretary of State and complete a training. It would also require that registration forms be turned in further in advance.

Several groups, including the League of Women Voters, have spoken out in opposition to the bills and what they say are the exclusionary restrictions they would put on voting and registration.

"Requiring state certification and training of third party agencies will make it more difficult for League members to register people to vote," the League of Women Voters of Michigan wrote, according to the Kalamazoo Gazette. "The requirements placed on groups that register people to vote are excessive and will reduce registration opportunities for citizens, as some groups will not be able to meet the requirements." S.B. 751 would require photo identification for in-person and absentee voting.

Michigan: State Considers Major New Restrictions On Voting Rights | ThinkProgress

Michigan may soon join states like Florida and Tennessee in implementing major new voting rights restrictions.

A new bill designed to make registering voters more difficult is currently working its way through the Republican-controlled legislature. As Project Vote details, SB 754 would put new regulations in place to require photo ID in order to register, create new restrictions on nonprofit organizations who register voters, and undercut voter registration drives by requiring completed registration forms to be submitted with 24 hours when the election is nearing.

Michigan: Recall vote against Rep. Paul Scott is back on | Detroit Free Press

The on-again, off-again recall election targeting state Rep. Paul Scott, R-Grand Blanc, is on again for Nov. 8 following a ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court to dissolve a lower court injunction to block it that was issued only last week.

The ruling is the latest twist in a political battle fought largely in the courtroom in recent weeks as Scott’s attorneys challenged the validity of recall petition signatures that had been collected at a time when an earlier legal challenge to petition signatures was pending.

Michigan: No-excuse absentee voting proposal comes with a catch | Michigan Messenger

Michigan residents could vote via absentee ballots for any reason under election reforms proposed by Republicans last week, but because the package requires voters to pick up their ballots in person, the change might not make it much easier for some people to vote.

Under the current rules a voter can only get an absentee ballot if they certify that they are 60 or older, expect to be away while polls are open, are physically unable to get to the polls, in jail awaiting arraignment or trial, can’t attend for religious reasons, or will be working as a election official in another precinct. People who vote absentee for these reasons can order their ballots by mail or online. About a quarter of all votes in the last two general elections were cast on absentee ballots, according to the Secretary of State’s office.

Michigan: Secretary of State seeking to reform state’s election laws | Huron Daily Tribune

Secretary of State Ruth Johnson on Wednesday announced a new initiative to ensure every citizen gets a vote — and only one vote — in future elections. Included in that is an effort to prevent what happened in the 84th District State Representative election recount last fall, where nearly 10,000 ballots cast in Huron and Tuscola counties were not recountable because of procedural errors, the majority of which were because ballots were not properly sealed.

In an interview Wednesday, Johnson told the Tribune that what happened in the Thumb during the recount that followed the Nov. 2, 2010 isn’t uncommon. She said it’s estimated about 30 percent of ballot containers statewide are not sealed properly. Per Michigan law, if ballots are not properly secured, they cannot be included in a recount.

Michigan: Local school, election officials mixed on bill to move school elections to November | The Daily Telegram

School districts in Michigan would only be permitted to hold elections in November of even-numbered years under a bill passed Wednesday by the Michigan House of Representatives. The bill passed by a vote of 72-36 and was billed as a way to cut costs and improve efficiency. But not all local officials agree.

Schools currently can set elections on any of the state’s four annual election dates, as can municipalities. The districts are responsible for the costs, which vary. In Adrian in 2011, for example, the May election cost the school district $6,171.

Michigan: Mystery surrounds Rep. Nancy Jenkins recall petitions | The Daily Telegram

Recall petitions for state Rep. Nancy Jenkins, R-Clayton, have become a mystery. The leader of a local recall group said he would file them on the Aug. 5 deadline to get on the Nov. 8 ballot. He did not. They were not filed the following week for a February election date. And group leader Daniel Long is offering no explanation.

“I’d like to know what’s going on. Is she going to be on the February ballot or not?” said Arnold Harper, Lenawee County Democratic Party chairman.

Long’s group, Lenawee County Says Recall Rick Snyder, is still using the county Democrats’ offices in Adrian to run a continuing signature campaign for the recall of Gov. Snyder, Harper said. But he has not had contact with Long or answers to questions about the Jenkins petitions.

Michigan: Voting rights activists threaten state with lawsuit | Michigan Messenger

A coalition of groups, including Demos, Project Vote, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCRUL), and the NAACP, sent a letter to Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson last week alleging that the state is in violation of federal law requiring voter registration at public assistance offices.

… Nicole Zeitler, an attorney with Project Vote, told the Michigan Messenger that the state is not following the law. “The NVRA requires the state to do more than simply make voter registration ‘available’ at public assistance agencies,” she said. “

Agencies must affirmatively offer a voter registration application form with EVERY application for benefits, recertification, and change of address form, whether or not the client asks for one. Michigan DHS policy, on the other hand—in violation of the NVRA—is to ONLY offer a form IF someone specifically requests one. Furthermore, our field investigations found that only 1 in 4 clients who did request a form received one.”

Michigan: Rock the Vote urges Michigan to allow online registration – Secretary of State expresses concerns about security | Detroit News

Michigan is failing to engage young voters because it lacks online registration and some of its laws are too restrictive, according to a group whose aim is to get more youths to vote. Rock the Vote said the younger generation is comfortable with online access for everyday tasks and the current voting laws are outdated. Its study called for the state to update its laws.

"Today's generation uses technology to register for classes and pay for taxes," said Heather Smith, president of Rock the Vote. "It would seem quite normal that we'd also be able to fill out a voter registration form with technology."

Michigan: Language to recall Rep. Kevin Cotter rejected; recall organizers say they’ll try again | themorningsun.com

The Isabella County Election Commission Thursday rejected petition language aimed at forcing a recall of Rep. Kevin Cotter, R-Union Township, but recall organizers said they’d try again immediately.

The three member board, comprised of Isabella County Probate Judge William Ervin, Treasurer Steve Pickens and Clerk Joyce Swan, ruled that two different versions of the language were unclear.

But Joan Rasegan of Shepherd, who is leading the effort in Isabella County to recall Gov. Rick Snyder and is closely tied to the effort to recall Cotter, said she planned to rewrite the language to address the concerns of the elections board and resubmit it, probably yet this week.

Michigan: Warren MI mayoral contenders will remain on ballot, can withhold age | The Detroit News

The state Court of Appeals this morning ruled incumbent Mayor Jim Fouts and mayoral contender Kathleen Schneeberger will remain on the August election ballot and don't have to reveal their dates of birth.

The ruling stems from a Macomb County Circuit Court lawsuit filed against the Warren Election Commission and its members seeking to block the two from appearing on the ballot on allegations they violated an election mandate for failing to disclose their age.

The three mayoral challengers behind the suit, City Council member Kathy Vogt and residents Joseph Hunt and James McDannel, argued they provided their age in affidavits prior to the May 10 filing deadline and Fouts and Schneeberger should have done the same.

Michigan: Grand Rapids clerks, schools balk at shifting elections to November | MLive.com

Local clerks and Grand Rapids schools oppose legislation that would mandate school districts conduct board elections in November of even-numbered years.

“I want to increase voter turnout, save money and improve the efficiency of local governments and school districts,” said Rep. Kurt Heise, R-Plymouth, who introduced the legislation that also affects community college trustee elections.

Kent and Ottawa school districts have traditionally held spring elections. The legislation would not apply for millages, charter amendments or special elections.

Michigan: Michigan Secretary of State branches back on line – system-wide restoration not yet complete | The Detroit News

Computer connections were restored to all 131 branch offices of the Michigan Secretary of State this afternoon after a broken fiber link interrupted services.
Officials cautioned it would take time to address the backlog created by the outage.

According to the SOS, the break occurred on Wednesday on a mainframe computer essential to branch office systems. Technicians have repaired the break and restored its connection with the computer system, but restoration of the entire system is not yet complete.

Michigan: Legislation introduced to allow Michigan residents to vote absentee for any reason | annarbor.com

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Jeff Irwin

In a move aimed at increasing voter participation, state Rep. Jeff Irwin has announced a plan to allow any Michigan resident to vote by absentee ballot without giving a reason. “Increasing voter turnout is crucial to maintaining a healthy democracy,” Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, said in a statement.

“We should do everything we can to ensure that every voter who wants to vote has that opportunity to exercise their rights and hold lawmakers accountable. This plan has strong bipartisan support and will simply make it easier for people to vote.”

Michigan judge allows ‘Cyber Ninjas’ to refute report on election errors in lingering lawsuit | Gus Burns/mlive.com

A Michigan judge on Monday said he’ll allow a dozen tech and election experts, including the Florida firm Cyber Ninjas and others who alleged election fraud following the November presidential election, to refute a secretary of state election report that determined mistakes in Michigan voting results were caused by human error and didn’t signal vulnerability or tampering with election machines. Cyber Ninjas is the name of a Florida-based consulting firm owned by Doug Logan, who’s expressed support for election fraud “Stop the Steal” conspiracy theories on social media. The company was recently hired by the Republican-majority Arizona Legislature to conduct an audit of election results in Maricopa County. That audit began last week. Now the Cyber Ninjas, as well as other experts put forth by the plaintiff in an ongoing election fraud lawsuit, are likely going to weigh in on challenges to results in Michigan’s Antrim County. Many of the experts have been involved in other election challenges across the nation, sometimes espousing debunked data in support of their election fraud claims. Proposed experts include: Retires Col. James P. Waldron, a cyber security expert who during post-election hearings before Michigan lawmakers cited incorrect reports that indicated 100% or more eligible voter turnout in some Michigan precincts; Russell James Ramsland Jr., a cybersecurity analyst and former Republican congressional candidate who produced the erroneous voter turnout report after apparently confusing Minnesota cities as locations in Michigan; and Seth Keshel, a former Army intelligence officer who has alleged numerical voting anomalies that would suggest fraud.

Full Article: ‘Cyber Ninjas’ to refute Michigan report on election errors in lingering lawsuit - mlive.com