Voter suppression and intimidation cannot be tolerated in Michigan!   From Judy Karandjeff, LWVMI Advocacy Committee Chair:

Recently, the Michigan House of Representatives passed two bills that sound reasonable, but the devil is in the details. Using the guise of the recommendations made by the Auditor General, the Michigan House of Representatives has passed two bills that ultimately will eliminate voters from the Qualified Voter File (QVF).

 House Bill 4127 was passed by the House with a substitute that requires voters who have a “placeholder birthdate” listed in the QVF to prove their birthdate to be a registered voter. While the problem with the birthdate was probably a clerical error, the burden of proof rests with the voter. 

 In addition, House Bill 4128 would require the 300,000 people who are on the QVF who have not voted since 2000 to verify their addresses to continue to be on the QVF, and their signatures would have to match the ones on file. If not, they are placed on the challenged list. 

 The bills are also opposed by the Secretary of State (SOS)

 LWVMI also opposes House Bills 4132 and 4133. A person who knowingly filled out and submitted or caused to be submitted an absent voter (AV) ballot application containing or using another person’s name and personal ID information, except as otherwise expressly authorized by law, would be guilty of a felony. Currently, it is a misdemeanor. LWVMI is concerned about voter intimidation being used to suppress the use of the absentee ballot. 

 LWVMI supports House Bill 4129 that requires the SOS to post on the SOS website in odd-numbered years the names of clerks who have not completed the required training. 

 House Bills 4127, 4128, and 4129 have passed the House and are awaiting action in the Senate Elections Committee. 

 House Bills 4132 and 4133 are awaiting action in the House. 

 For more information, go to www.legislature.mi.gov.  

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