“I am extremely disappointed that Gov. Rick Snyder has now made voting more difficult for Michiganders by signing the bill to ban straight-ticket voting. The Governor suggested that we should put people before politics; well if he would have, he would have vetoed this bill. Straight-ticket voting is used by Democrats, Republicans and people across the political spectrum and all throughout the state. They all should retain that right. Eliminating straight-ticket voting thwarts the will of the people of Michigan who previously, through ballot referendum, voted to uphold straight-ticket voting. In typical Lansing fashion, the Republican majority added a $5 million appropriation to the bill to make the legislation referendum proof. It is a gross misuse of taxpayer dollars and effectively is making taxpayers pay for the privilege of having a voting right stripped away from them We should be making voting more accessible to citizens, not creating unnecessary burdens to our democratic process. The reality is folks are busy. We don’t need to be taking up any more of their time than necessary. We shouldn’t make voting more burdensome for people who have to get to work, have to pick up a child at school or day care, or have other responsibilities to meet. It could also make voting more difficult for senior citizens and disabled people who prefer to vote in person, but may find waiting in long lines difficult. This bill is the worst kind of partisan politics and will make voting that much harder for everyone.”