Voting Laws: Michigan Legislation Could Restrict Voter Registration, Absentee Voters

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.

Municipal clerks would also need to verify that voters on absentee voter lists are legal, registered voters and that voters who previously claimed disabilities still have them. The annual verification would put additional stress on elderly and disabled voters, potentially impacting their turnout, the Macomb Daily reports.

Project Vote and other groups involved with voting rights brought testimony to the Senate last week, claiming the bills don't solve current voting problems but rather address "phantom problems" and cause confusion.

A well-timed report from the NAACP indirectly condemns the spirit of the bills, among other state voting reforms nationawide, as "a coordinated and comprehensive assault" on voters' rights.

The report criticized two "block the vote" measures that have passed in other states that are similar to the Michigan proposals for restrictions on voter registration drives and requiring photo ID. It called them detrimental to African-American and Latino voting rights, stating that new voting restrictions have been implemented in areas where there was an increase in voter turnout among minorities in the 2008 election.

The Michigan Association of County Clerks says the new laws are necessary to make the voter registration process run smoothly.

"It's not exactly what we wanted," Kalamazoo County Clerk Tim Snow told the Kalamazoo Gazette, speaking for the association. "But it's a lot better than what we have."

The bills are up for a vote in the state Senate this week.

WATCH: HuffPost Black Voices senior reporter Trymaine Lee discusses voter ID laws on MSNBC

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Comments

[peacethroughstrength]

08:28 AM on 01/07/2012

First of all, the United States are NOT a democracy. And yes, I said "are". We are a republic. We were NEVER intended to have a strong central government. Each state is basically its own country. The FEDERAL government (federal as in federation-defined as a body formed of nations or states, each retaining control over its own internal affairs.) was and is only meant to essentially be an unbiased third party in disputes between states, except for when it came to defending the union from outside attack, hence the national military. Our Founding Fathers never wanted, nor intended, for us to be a democracy. Democracy is nothing more than "mob rule". That is why we do not and should not have a popular vote for president. And is also why there is NO RIGHT TO VOTE IN A FEDERAL ELECTION.
That all being said, how can anybody, but Democrats, even think that NOT requiring ID to vote is a bad idea. If ID is not required then Ima Dem can bounce between polling places and place multiple votes for the same person in the same election. And dead people would vote....again. And illegals. Quite frankly, if I had my way the only people that would vote would be people that actually contributed to society. If you collect a welfare check after 2 years, you don't vote again until you get a job.

[ManwithaParachute]

08:26 PM on 02/28/2012

"If you collect a welfare check after 2 years, you don't vote again until you get a job."

Better still, if you ever complained about taxes you never get to vote.

[Ms Disbelef]

08:24 AM on 12/12/2011

Along with the Financial Manager laws put in place whereby the state can come in and take over the government of local communities and this effort at voter suppression, it is pretty clear that Michigan has been taken over by the extreme right wing of the Republican Party. Things being done here are even worse than what is being done in Wisconsin and Ohio but our Republican governor and legislature manage to stay under the radar with the exception of reporting by Ed Schultz and Rachel Maddow. It isn't as though they want this stuff in place by 2014 or 2016 so there is time for organization that register people have time to get certified, they have put these new laws in place for 2012 so there isn't time to get it all in place, thereby disenfranchising the old, minorities and disabled. All this and Lindsay Graham of South Carolina had the audacity to say the Consumer Financial Protection Board is Stalinist. The hypocrisy and BS is stunning.

[ziggrl]

09:47 AM on 12/10/2011

In Michigan you can use a utility bill with your name and address on it in order to obtain an ID. I have to show proof of who I am to cash a check, use a credit card, or apply for a job. Why wouldn't I have to show ID to vote? If you can't find a way to obtain an ID, then you must be too stupid to research on who to vote for.

[Ms Disbelef]

08:25 AM on 12/12/2011

That is how you get an ID under the old rules. You had better read the bill.

[crease]

09:30 AM on 12/08/2011

The strawman here is VOTER FRAUD in Michigan where a few people have been arrested by the feds but haven't had their day in court and are out on bail after several years because of a lack of Judges that aren't getting appointed due to the GOOPers in Washington holding up the confirmations which should have been done long ago but we know the story behind the GOP obfuscation.I still can't find any recent voter fraud convictions in my state of Michigan and probably won't but I am sure some of the wingers who post here will make something up as usual.I remember the good old days of just showing a utility bill and a birth certificate to vote and no voter fraud strawman came to life then.Now with this strawman voter fraud thing we know that the wingers are scared of Obama,the 99% ,OWS and the LGBT community!!!!!!!! Pansies is what I call the wingers because they don't have the courage to rebuke their own politicians when they are wrong,when they lie or when the deceive them on an issue.

[Maui Gal]

10:55 PM on 12/07/2011

No photo ID, No Vote!
I thought it was the law of all States you carry some form of ID at all times on you?
There is no excuse for not having ID unless your illegal, wanted by the police, or a real dead beat.
I know, I know they are all votes for obama if you can get them to the booth!

[crease]

09:32 AM on 12/08/2011

I'll bet you can't find one case of recent voter fraud in Michigan,arrest yes a few years ago and no court date because the GOOPers in Washington have obfuscated too many of obama's appointments.

[llwlknsn]

10:23 PM on 12/07/2011

What people do not understand is that the vote is a document. It should be protected just like your passport or DL. If you, as a citizen, cannot be bothered to secure a photo ID in order to vote, then you obviously do not understand the value of your state granted franchise.

ONLY citizens get to vote. This BS about restricting the vote is bogus. Those who want to vote will find a way to be compliant. Those who can't be bothered, wouldn't vote anyway.

I want everyone who is registered to vote. I want them to understand that their vote is power. And I want them to value it in the same manner that they value any other privilage.

Once this is in place, then we will begin to see the impact of voter fraud. Now people will be asking you to prove that you own your vote.

[Miriam Breslauer]

03:30 AM on 12/08/2011

Lets say you were a woman born in 1920 who got married at least once. Chances are your Birth Certificate contains errors or your maident name. It can take hundreds of dollars to make sure that you have all the proper documentation and to correct various errors. That is assuming the records aren't lost (some birth certificate records were lost when a fire burned down a county clerks office). Depending on the problems it can take months or years to fix these problems, a lawyer, and time in court.

That is a nightmare for anyone let alone someone without a lot of money or a car.

[JannielB]

06:43 PM on 12/08/2011

Fanned for reason. Thank you.

[Ms Disbelef]

08:31 AM on 12/12/2011

This may come as a big surprise to you, but there are states that are now not telling their citizens that the ID's issued at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles are to be at no charge and people are being charged for them which constitutes a poll tax. Under no circumstances under the Voting Rights bill is anyone to pay for the right to vote. They are also forcing people who have voted for 50 years to now go out and get a voter ID. It is one thing to ask new voters to get an ID, but people who have been allowed to vote all their lives. I don't know what you would call that, but I call it voter suppression.

By the way, the voter fraud percentage is .00003% of the vote. Calculate that one and then tell me how much voter fraud has affected elections. I submit that the stunt of purging 20,00l0 people from the votger rolls in Florida in 2000 that constituted voter fraud.

[Tim Janssen]

09:30 PM on 12/07/2011

Paul Weyrich - "I don't want everybody to vote"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GBAsFwPglw

[North Coaster]

05:06 PM on 12/07/2011

Democracy, it was nice knowing ya. Goodbye. Maybe white male property owners will still be able to vote someday.

[JannielB]

06:43 PM on 12/08/2011

Oh! Totally nailed. Thanks.

[Meredith Reynolds]

04:37 PM on 12/07/2011

All of these voting laws simply suppress voting for certain populations. 1. Obtaining documentation needed to get an ID is harder to do than people are assuming. You already need certain documentation to even get an ID and to get this documentation you need to go to a government office that is only open from 9-5pm and NOT on weekends. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to take time off and stand it line for hours to get an ID. 2. Voting is a right! Which means that you should be able to exercise that right without being impeded in anyway. AND All of these laws disproportionally affect certain groups (young people, minorities, the poor, and elderly) more so than whites. Also my question is how doesn't making the registration process more complicated and muddled make voting any easier?

[corwin]

05:29 PM on 12/07/2011

That's something most people don't realize! There are almost a dozen people in Detroit who are employed.How will they get the time to get a voter ID?secondly,some of them would rather spend their time redeeming pawn tickets .Why should they have to spend it getting an ID.And, I don't understand why young people and the elderly are impacted by this,but not middle aged.Middle aged people are just as good as anyone!

[Meredith Reynolds]

05:59 PM on 12/07/2011

I think this misses the point. Its not simply a time issue but even having the initial documents needed to get an ID issue. We often take for granted that getting documents like a SS card, drivers license, etc cost money and time as well as requiring other documents to prove identity. Also is affects certain groups disproportionately, that doesn't mean it doesn't affect everyone Just that it affects everyone differently and some more than others. Also its unfortunately that you view the people of Detroit in such a negative way.

[Ms Disbelef]

08:34 AM on 12/12/2011

What they don't tell you is that they are closing Motor Vehicle offices all over Detroit and if you don't have a car, which most of the disabled and young people in Detroit don't have, you can't get there. It must be nice to be a white middle class person like you and not even be able to comprehend the problems that so much of America suffers. Go back into your little bubble.

[dangelcash]

06:25 PM on 12/07/2011

It's not hard to get an ID at all. If you have to take time off of work to get an ID, how would someone have gotten the job in the first place? Usually, legally, you have to have an ID for taxes and all that good stuff once you're hired.

Most Secretary of State offices are open on weekends and late at least one night a week. They also have kiosks and ALOT of services than can be done online or through the mail.

[Ms Disbelef]

08:38 AM on 12/12/2011

Yes, the poor have computers. I don't know where you live, but none of the driver's license offices are open on weekends and yes, you do have to take time off from work or go on your lunch hour to get it done, that is, if you have a car. In many cases with the elderly minority people who were born at home don't have a birth certificate or it takes them months to get one. They won't accept just a Social Security Card because it doesn't have a photo on it and there are so many ways to counterfeit them. I can't believe we have a way to print money that is counterfeit-proof but not social security cards.

[Kirby Smith]

03:17 PM on 12/07/2011

Obviously anything to restrict the voting rights of minorities is beneficial to the GOP since minorities vote overwhelmingly democratic.

[corwin]

05:29 PM on 12/07/2011

And often.

[dangelcash]

06:29 PM on 12/07/2011

Maybe ACORN shouldn't have been messing around with all those names and other illegal voting procedures and this wouldn't be necessary.

[joethecaregiver]

02:51 PM on 12/07/2011

the michigan voters are getting what they deserve,they voted libs in to office for years , guess what ENJOY

[MisterCee]

04:48 PM on 12/07/2011

Dislike.

[North Coaster]

05:07 PM on 12/07/2011

Uh, yeah, its not the libs doing this. It is the anti-democracy far right. Get a clue. Yes, we are getting what we deserved after people voted in the far right in their frustration with the world.

[jperez6002]

01:48 PM on 12/07/2011

I see nothing wrong with the ID part the rest of it whatever. If the next Pres. is Repub. or Dem. or even a dog it would be nice to have a Pres. who doesn't spend the 4 years just campaining.

[Rasheed Kalifani Knowles]

04:40 PM on 12/07/2011

You seem just like the type that would vote for a dog to be president.

[jperez6002]

04:48 PM on 12/07/2011

OK then a ferret if it makes you feel better.

[SoulOfWit]

04:45 PM on 12/07/2011

The problem with requiring IDs is that it makes it harder to vote. That is working against democracy and is un-American. Throw in a fee for the ID and it is a poll tax. As far as I know, Michigan has not dropped the fee for a state ID.

[jperez6002]

05:09 PM on 12/07/2011

Because of my job I have traveled all 50 states and I have not been in a place yet that the laws says if a cop ask for ID and you don't have it they can take you to jail until they ID ya. Now all state IDs' are cheap $5.00 to maybe $15.00 many good for 4 to 15 years. Now if your vote was for like I will die depending on your vote You can be sure I want to be d amn sure you even have the right to vote.
So really if your up and round walking or driving w/o ID your breaking the law on the get go. Then that being the case if your going to the poll with no ID then you are breaking the law.

[snakeman]

01:25 PM on 12/07/2011

Hey DOJ, it's time for you to smack down these discriminatory state election laws. But I know that you will intervene in do time.

[Talk2PassiveActionVital]

01:21 PM on 12/07/2011

Who are the sob's pushing voter ID laws? I thought pinochet and franco were dead.

[SoulOfWit]

04:46 PM on 12/07/2011

If you can't win a fair election then you have to restrict the number of people voting. Now, which party is fighting for restrictions on voting? Vote for the other party.

[22Keys]

01:00 PM on 12/07/2011

This is getting really pathetic. Do these "advocates" really keep expecting us to swallow this non-sense? You cannot vote of you are not a citizen. Alsom if you are a citizen you should have no problem voting as long as you can obtain a photo ID and refrain from crime. I apologize to everyone that see these as inpassable obstacles.