The U.S. Supreme Court could soon grant state legislatures unconditional control over federal elections, clearing the way for lawmakers to gerrymander their states with impunity and pass voter restriction measures without interference from state courts.
Vote by mail
A set of bipartisan election bills were signed into law Friday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to “help more people exercise their constitutional right to vote.”
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.
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.”
The case brought by Michigan Alliance for Retired Americans against Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, who said Friday she isn’t planning to appeal. Michigan Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens said Friday there was “affidavit evidence that many voters were in fact deprived of having their absent voter ballot tallied in the August primary.”