Protecting the right to vote for minorities, the disabled, and people with language barriers is goal of legislation to expand voting rights in Michigan.
Merissa Kovach of the Michigan ACLU spoke in favor of the bills last week in front a Michigan Senate committee hearing in Lansing.
“Despite the federal VRA being one of the most successful civil rights laws in U.S. history, it doesn’t fully address the need for voting rights protections in Michigan, especially in its current weakened form,” Kovach said. “Although the federal VRA has been effective at combating barriers, federal courts have also chipped away at legal protections in recent years, and it’s made it increasingly complex and burdensome for voters to fight for their rights in court.”
However, local officials like Wyoming City Attorney Scott Smith say the bills could make it tougher for local election clerks to do their job.
“Every time we add complexity or new downsides to what is a fairly voluntary position with a local government, we make it harder to recruit folks,” Smith said. “Then when we have more proposed changes, such as in these bills, and these bills contain possible monetary penalties that the clerks have to face, they’re concerned.”
Backers of the four bill package say it’s needed because the federal voting rights act has been weakened.
