Legislation aimed at safeguarding the rights of qualified voters and reducing barriers to election participation passed the Senate this week. The package was sponsored by members of the Senate Democratic Caucus and developed with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and numerous interested organizations.
Key Points:
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- Creates a nonpartisan and transparent voter database and institute to provide a center for research, training, and information on voting systems and election administration with easy-to-access information in one location.
- Requires and expands the jurisdictions that must translate election-related information into languages other than English.
- Enhances and clarifies protections for voters with disabilities or who otherwise need assistance to vote.
- Prohibits a local government or state agency from imposing any law, practice, policy, or method of election that would lead to a disparity in voter participation between a protected class and other members of the electorate or that would impair the ability of a protected class to participate in the political process.
Next Steps:
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- Senate Bills 401 – 404 were referred to the House Elections Committee for consideration.
Members of the Senate Republican Caucus were in opposition to the package. According to Senator Ruth Johnson (R-Holly)
“These bills would cost taxpayers millions of dollars and create new obstacles for our clerks and local units of government that are simply unnecessary,” said Johnson, R-Holly. “These bills go far beyond the voting rights protections already afforded to all of our citizens under both the U.S. and Michigan constitutions, and they would create a huge new bureaucracy under the secretary of state that would help interest groups sue our local units of government and our hardworking clerks.”
