Executives from more than 30 Michigan-based companies have signed a letter voicing their concerns about a slew of election-altering bills in the Michigan State Legislature.
The letter, dated Tuesday, was signed by 37 CEOs, presidents, or chairpeople, including the heads of General Motors and the Ford Motor Company. It comes a day before the state Senate is supposed to start deliberations on more than 30 bills that would change the way elections are run within the state.
The group, which said it feels “a responsibility” to speak out about the proposed changes, explained, “The right to vote is a sacred, inviolable right of American citizens. Our democracy is strongest when we have the greatest level of participation by our citizens in a representative government.”
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“Safe and secure options to vote are vital to ensuring voter participation. Government must support equitable access to the ballot to ensure that all eligible voters can exercise their rights,” the letter went on. “Government must avoid actions that reduce participation in elections — particularly among historically disenfranchised communities, persons with disabilities, older adults, racial minorities and low-income voters.”
Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has said she’d veto any election-related legislation should she not like it.
“I have a veto pen, and I am ready to use that for any bill that is looking to make it harder for people in our state to vote,” the governor said, according to the Detroit News.
The various bills to be considered and debated would make a number of changes. S.B. 285 would require voters applying to vote by mail to attach a copy of identification, while S.B. 287 prohibits the city or state from providing voters with prepaid postage on any absentee ballots. S.B. 310 would bar the secretary of state from sending an absentee ballot application to anyone who hasn’t already requested one.
Despite Whitmer’s comments, there is one way in which the Legislature could avoid getting the bills vetoed. Michigan is one of the few states that allows voters to petition lawmakers to take up legislation. If that were to happen, and it passed through both chambers, Whitmer would not have the power to veto it. The organizers would need more than 340,000 signatures, which is 10% of the vote in the last gubernatorial race, to get the state Legislature to take it up.
Ron Weiser, chairman of the Michigan GOP, has indicated that it is one avenue they’re considering, per the Detroit News.
“If that legislation is not passed by our Legislature, which I am sure it will be, but if it’s not signed by the governor, then we have other plans to make sure that it becomes law before 2022,” Weiser said, according to a video posted on social media.
The bills are similar to what Republicans across the country have been calling for in terms of election reform. A number of states have passed laws since the 2020 election to change how their citizens will be voting moving forward. Iowa, Texas, and Georgia all passed legislation favored by Republicans, while New Jersey enacted laws backed by their Democratically-controlled state Legislature and governor.
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Critics of the Republicans’ push for election reform often point to former President Donald Trump’s repeated and unsubstantiated claims of massive voter fraud that would have overturned the election had it not occurred. Democrats say that their Republican counterparts are buying into the belief that elections need to be changed to be secure, which they argue is premised on the former president’s inaccurate, repeated statements.
Republicans argue their current push for legislation is designed to correct vulnerabilities and security concerns stemming from the 2020 election. Collectively, the party often pushes to strengthen voter identification laws and limiting absentee voting, both of which, they claim, will help increase voter confidence and decrease fraud.
