Ex-Michigan Secretaries of State Speak Out Against State Voting Reform
(RepublicanPress.org) – On November 8, Michigan voters will decide the fate of Ballot Proposal 2 of 2022. Otherwise known as the Promote the Vote (PTV) Initiative, the measure would amend sections four and seven of Article II of the state’s Constitution by adding new provisions regarding election audits, certifications, and the acceptance of donated voting equipment. The PTV Initiative also enumerates several voting rights and protections, protecting them long-term.
The PTV Initiative’s backers say the initiative is a non-partisan effort to protect voting rights and secure election integrity in the future. However, three former Michigan Secretaries of State are speaking out on the reform measure.
Michigan’s Promote the Vote Initiative
Promote the Vote 2022 led the campaign to get the required number of signatures to place the measure on the November 8 ballot. Several Michigan groups, like the NAACP’s state conference, the ACLU, and the League of Women Voters, launched Promote the Vote roughly four years ago to address voter rights and other election issues in the state.
On July 11, Promote the Vote issued a press release announcing it submitted 669,972 voter signatures to Michigan’s secretary of state, guaranteeing the PTV Initiative’s placement on the upcoming general election ballot. The group thanked its “27 partner organizations” for collecting nearly 250,000 signatures over the required 425,059.
If the PTV passes, it will allow people to sign up for absentee voting permanently, establish early voting nine days before the official election day, create a state-funded ballot tracking system, and provide prepaid mail-in ballot postage. It’s also designed to provide protection for overseas service members and their families who want to vote and increase access to ballot drop boxes. In addition, people will be able to use either their photo ID or a sworn statement to verify their identities.
Republican-Led Backlash Against Michigan Ballot Proposal
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) has remained silent regarding the potential passage of the PTV Initiative. However, her three Republican predecessors are speaking out against the measure. Candice Miller (1995 to 2003), Terri Lynn Land (2003 to 2011), and Ruth Johnson (2011 to 2019) warned voters that passage of the measure would strip power from state lawmakers to address future election integrity issues without amending the state constitution, an involved process.
Miller told Fox 2 Detroit the proposed amendment was a “recipe for voter fraud.” She expressed her concern the proposition placed a provision into the Michigan Constitution guaranteeing that once a voter gets an absentee ballot, they “never have to ask for [one] again,” cautioning that even if a voter moves or dies, election officials will mail them a ballot “forever.”
Johnson, who currently serves as a state senator, echoed the sentiment. She also warned voters how the PTV Initiative would undermine the state’s current voter ID law, saying that “79.7% of the people of Michigan absolutely want to have photo ID” as a requisite to casting a ballot.
Others like Jeff Litton, the executive director of Secure MI Vote, are also speaking out against the initiative. He recently urged voters to allow state lawmakers to address election issues instead of changing the Constitution. In the meantime, the conservative initiative is gathering signatures for several propositions that would negate the measure’s impact.
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