Caucus to announce legislation to defend Michiganders’ freedom to vote
LANSING, Mich., Oct. 30, 2021 — Yesterday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed Senate Bills 303 and 304, as well as House Bill 5007, which are part of a nationwide effort to create barriers to voting. All three bills rely 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.
“These bills continue to feed the Big Lie while creating barriers to the polls for Michigan voters,” said House Democratic Leader Donna Lasinski (D-Scio Township). “House Democrats have been on the front lines protecting voting rights as Republicans have launched relentless attacks over the past year, but sometimes the best defense is a good offense. Next week, we will be proactively introducing legislation to defend the freedom to vote.”
Senate Bills 303 and 304 would have removed the current voter identification system, where voters can either show photo ID or sign a sworn statement attesting to their identity. Instead, voters without ID would be given a provisional ballot that would only count if they returned to their clerk’s office to verify their identity within six days after the election.
“These bills are a solution in search of a problem and are intended to cause confusion among voters,” said state Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth), Democratic vice chair of the House Elections and Ethics Committee. “Republicans refuse to let this manufactured, divisive issue die despite mountains of evidence putting it to rest. Voting is the most fundamental freedom in a democracy and as the leading democracy in the world, we have a proud history of free and fair elections. These constant attacks on that basic freedom have convinced me that we need to take proactive measures with legislation of our own to defend the promise of free and fair elections, which are the cornerstone of our nation.”