Updates About Elections

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has decided not to pursue an appeal after the 54-A District Court in Lansing dismissed the criminal charges brought against a group of 15 defendants who conspired to award Michigan’s 2020 electoral votes to Donald Trump instead of Joe Biden. The group signed fake certificate of votes, and sent them to the United States Senate with the intention of the false votes being accepted as the official electoral votes for the State of Michigan.

In her official statement, Nessel cited roadblocks such as time required and the difficulty with which the courts have dealt with election law violations that would hinder the office of the attorney general from a successful prosecution.

The state House and Senate have been in gridlock for months over legislation that would keep Michigan in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC), which currently allows 8,000 physicians to practice in the state using their home state license. If legislation extending the compact is not passed by its expiration date of March 28, estimates say over 100,000+ Michiganders will be negatively affected through canceled appointments and loss of medical providers.

The spat between the two chambers does not stem from disputing policy language or the legislation’s intent, but rather over which lawmaker will receive credit for sponsoring the bill. Last May, the Senate passed SB 303, which was introduced by Senator Roger Hauck (R-Mount Pleasant), who represents a solidly Republican district. Twin bill HB 5455 was then introduced in January by Representative Rylee Linting (R-Wyandotte), who resides in a highly competitive district. HB 5455 was then voted out of the House and transmitted to the Senate.

Since early February, the House and Senate bills have sat in each other’s chambers without action, despite vocal concerns from various stakeholders about the approaching deadline.

Yesterday, in an unexpected twist, the House and Senate struck a deal to pass one of the IMLC bills before the Senate adjourns for Spring Break next Thursday. The House has agreed to pass an unrelated bill sponsored by Senator Kevin Hertel (D-Saint Clair Shores) in exchange for HB 5455. The deal offers wins for both vulnerable Republican Rylee Linting and Democrat Kevin Hertel as they prepare for two of the fiercest campaign races Michigan will see this year.

The Senate is expected to vote on the IMLC bill next week and send it to the Governor before the March 28 deadline.

Michigan voters will now have more than one proposal to consider at the ballot box this year. Americans for Citizen Voting, the organization behind the ballot initiative that would require voters to provide a valid photo ID before casting a ballot, recently turned in 750,000 signatures to the Bureau of Elections. Although the proposal required a lofty 446,198 registered Michigan voters, the group exceeded the requirement by over 300,000 signatures.

In addition to the voter ID requirement, the proposal would also eliminate the Affidavit of Identity option for those without IDs and lead to more aggressive efforts in ensuring non-citizens do not appear on voter rolls.

Republicans are praising the proposal for it’s efforts to strengthen election security. Previous polls have also demonstrated strong bipartisan agreement on requiring voter IDs, with more than half of democrats, 80% of republicans, and 70% of independents supporting a voter ID requirement. However, Democrats also have major concerns that this would limit constitutional access for voters who do not have IDs or whose identification could be withheld by family members to prevent them from voting.

The initiative will appear on the November 3rd ballot as Proposal 2.