LANSING, Mich., Sept. 30, 2021 — The Michigan House passed a collection of four election bills today that hinge on the false pretense that our elections are fraudulent, despite more than 250 audits of Michigan’s 2020 election concluding that it was free and fair.

“The suspension of the House Rules to rush election bills to the House Floor without time for legislative review send a clear message that they are just part of a political game intended to stoke fear and paranoia,” said House Democratic Leader Donna Lasinski (D-Scio Township). “These actions further feed the Big Lie and are intended to undermine faith in our democracy, not only to question the results of the 2020 election, but lay the groundwork to overturn the next one. Republicans are fixated on scoring cheap political points with these manufactured, divisive issues, while House Democrats remain focused on delivering the billions of federal relief dollars collecting dust in D.C. to support Michigan’s small businesses and working families.”

  • House Bill 4837 would prevent third parties from accessing the qualified voter file, which is already prohibited under current law.
  • House Bill 4492 would expand the use of private facilities as polling places, creating the potential for exclusion, and opening the door for conflicts of interest for the owners of facilities used for elections.
  • House Bill 4528 would mandate training for individuals wishing to serve as election challengers, but fails to allocate any funding to the Secretary of State to administer that training.
  • Senate Bill 277 would allow local officials to remove deceased voters from the Qualified Voter File, which is currently only done at the state level. This wrongly suggests that deceased voters are casting ballots and furthers the false narrative of election fraud.

“These bills are a solution in search of a problem,” said state Rep. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing). “They’re an attempt to convince Michiganders that we need to create barriers to voting, barriers that disproportionately impact communities of color. Lansing is the seat of democracy in our state – it’s part of our city’s culture, it’s in our blood – and I will continue to protect the freedom to vote.”

All four bills passed a vote in the House today and have been sent to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for consideration.

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