LANSING (WKZO-AM/FM) — State Rep. Jon Hoadley, D-Kalamazoo, has re-introduced his “Voter Bill of Rights.”
The package includes several provisions that would make it easier to register and vote, folded into a constitutional amendment that protects the basic right to vote. He said it would include no-excuse absentee voting, early voting, “portable registration” making it easier to change polling places when voters move, and automatic registration when a resident obtains a driver’s license.
It will be a tremendous struggle to get it through the Republican-controled House and Senate, which have leaned away from making it easier to vote. Because it is a constitutional amendment, it would need two-thirds of the House and Senate to agree to put it on a ballot for state voters to decide. That is a very tall order.
MIRS News reports that, before any of that is even attempted, the first step is to get Rep. Aaron Miller, R-Sturgis, to put it on his committee agenda. For now, Miller is only promising to review it and is not making any commitments.
