Yesterday, a meeting of the Michigan House Redistricting and Elections Committee was disrupted by protesters angry about proposed changes to the state's election laws.
Chief among protesters' concerns was a measure, now headed to the state House floor, that would strengthen ID requirements for voter registration in Michigan.
Under the proposed law, potential Michigan voters would be required to present a government issued photo ID or birth certificate when registering. Third-party registration organizations would also be subject to more oversight.
Now, Michigan's former Governor Jennifer Granholm has come out calling similar laws proposed in several states "voter suppression" and "treasonous."
In a segment of the War Room, her show on Current TV, Granholm pointed the finger at Republican lawmakers, accusing them of using legislation for political gain:
In November, five million eligible voters will find it harder to exercise their rights in America -- 150 voter suppression laws have been introduced in 30 state legislatures across the country. The most common tactics: requiring photo ID, restricting registration drives, limiting early voting and imposing onerous residency requirements. Who do these laws most directly affect? The poor, the elderly, minorities and the young. And how do those groups typically vote? Democratic. It is an affront to our democracy that you need a specific identification to vote for a candidate, but not to finance one.
You can watch the full segment from the War Room below.
Let us know what you think. Are election laws like those proposed in Michigan unfair?
-John Klein Wilson, Michigan Radio Newsroom
