The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups are calling on the state Legislature to pass the Michigan Voting Rights Act.
But the clock is ticking.
Senate Democrats said the package of bills would protect and expand access to the voting process. Specifically, Democrats said, the legislation would:
- Prohibit voter denial, dilution, and/or suppression and provide remedies for violations.
- Create 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.
- Require and expand the jurisdictions that must translate election-related information into languages other than English to ensure that language minority groups in our state have an equal opportunity to participate in the voting process.
- Enhance and clarify protections for voters with disabilities or who otherwise need assistance to vote.
Critics said the legislation is unnecessary and places a financial burden on local clerks’ offices, particularly regarding the language requirement.
Loren Khogali is the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan. She said the state needs strong comprehensive protections for the right to vote.
“These bills aren’t just a set of reforms,” said Khogali, “They are a direct response to the lived experiences and the barriers that eligible voters in Michigan have faced in exercising their constitutional right to vote.”
The legislation is awaiting a vote by the state House. The Michigan Senate has already approved the voting rights bills, on a party-line vote.
The Michigan Legislature’s lame duck session is scheduled to end next week. If action is not taken, the issue will have to wait for the next Legislature which takes office in January, and will have a Republican majority in the House, while the state Senate remains under Democratic leadership.
Civil liberties groups said the timing matters, because they're concerned the incoming Republican majority in Congress may act to water down federal voting rights law.
