(WXYZ) — Governor Whitmer signed new bipartisan legislation today that expanded voting rights. The bills are the legislature's way of implementing Proposal 22-2, more well known as ‘Prop 2’.
Prop 2 was previously voted on and passed by Michiganders in November. The Governor says these new laws make it easier for Michiganders to vote in a more secure way.
Here are the bills signed today and what they call for:
Senate Bill 339 will establish a website for Michiganders to track their ballots. This bill will ensure that voters are notified whenever their votes are revived and counted, the website will also notify voters if there are any errors and offer solutions.
Senate Bill 367 will require at least nine days of early voting before each statewide and federal election so people can find a convenient time to vote that works for them in order to avoid facing lines on election day. The bill also authorizes pre-processing and early tabulation for absentee ballots, ensuring a timely result after polls close on election day.
Senate Bill 370 implements requirements to allow voters to fix clerical errors with ballots. The bill also requires prepaid postage for all absentee ballot applications and envelopes.
Senate Bill 373 allows Michiganders to use their U.S passport, tribal photo ID, military ID and student IDs to identify themselves when coming to vote. Aims to expand the valid forms of ID accepted.
House Bill 4696 makes revealing election results from early voting centers before Election Day a Class E felony against public trust with a statutory maximum of five years in prison.
House Bill 4697 requires at least one secure drop box for every municipality or at least one drop box for every 15,000 registered voters in municipalities with more than that many registered voters. These boxes will be used to return absentee ballots safely and securely and will be accessible 24 hours a day and until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
House Bill 4699 will enable voters to fill out a single application to vote by mail and have a ballot mailed to them in future elections. This will establish a permanent absentee voter list and make it easier to access the ballot and allow people to vote by mail indefinitely.
House Bill 4702 increases the maximum size of an election precinct from 2,999 active registered electors to 5,000, which will lower the costs for local governments.
