The committee heard from election officials and experts on the eight bills that would, among other things, create a minimum of nine days of early voting, provide prepaid postage for certain election documents and require absent voter drop boxes.
Absentee voting
One of the proposed changes would allow election officials to begin preparing absentee ballots for counting two days before the election, something for which clerks have repeatedly asked.
A Senate committee on Wednesday continued discussions on bills in a sweeping GOP voting restriction package that’s been widely criticized by voting rights activists and Democratic officials.
Columnist Sharon Dolente writes, “Michiganders want and deserve a voting system that works for all of us, regardless of our race, gender, religion or ZIP code. The eagerness with which communities turned out to vote in 2020 was historic and encouraging. Our elected leaders should follow the lead of the voters of Michigan and build on that success in protecting the right to vote and expanding access to the ballot.”
Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Monday rolled out a number of election-related initiatives, centered around expanding voter accessibility and strengthening election security.
Area polling stations have reported busy, steady traffic this morning for General Election Day. In the city of Three Rivers as well as in Lockport, Park, and Fabius Townships, officials said absent voter ballot returns have been high, and in-person voters waited in lines that stretched out of buildings.
Watershed Voice recently became aware of two complaints regarding requested absentee ballots that had not been received. In order to clarify what issues might be affecting ballot request processing, Watershed Voice reached out to Three Rivers City Clerk Melissa Bliss for more information.
“All across this country in small towns and big cities alike, clerks and election officials are hard at work to take their part in this essential American tradition, but they need us to demand that our elected leaders give them the tools to do the job. We still have time to get this right. But the clock is ticking.”