“I think it’s a terrible law because you are going to have a lot longer lines, but what is really at hand here is that this went to a vote of the people in 2001 and voters turned it down”, said Mizzi, who has been a city clerk for more than 20 years.
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MI was among 10 states to still let voters support an entire ticket of one party’s candidates with a single mark.
Wotruba said his organization may go to the courts to get an injunction against the law until clean-up language can be passed.
He added that local governments and schools should still be allowed to distribute “basic information about an election including the proposed or final ballot language and the date of the election”.
But if voters actually take time to read through the ballot, is that such a bad thing, even if it does takes longer to vote?
The last two times the legislature tried to ban straight-ticket voting it was overturned by voters in a referendum. That bill was originally tie-barred to straight-ticket voting, and it’s unfortunate lawmakers broke that link.
As Senate Bill 13 worked its way through the Legislature, Republicans openly rejected efforts to also include no-reason absentee voting.
Inglot is concerned it could also slow things down at the polls.
That would allow voters to use an absentee ballot without meeting current state guidelines.
In the last presidential election, 40 percent of Republican voters in Trenton cast a straight-ticket ballot and just more than 50 percent of Democrats did.
Those choosing the no-reason option would have to show ID and request an application in person every election. Local clerks have said the option has helped speed voting lines, which tend to get quite long, especially in urban areas during presidential election years.
Snyder calls up Congress to pass the additional measure, as MI is one of only thirteen states according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, that does not allow for some form of early or no-reason absentee voting.
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“When voters don’t have as many choices at the polling place and they’re forced to go individually line-by-line, election-by-election to make a choice-that will just likely lead to longer lines at the polls”, he added.
