LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The back and forth between guns at polling places continues.
A day after a Michigan Court of Claims judge struck down the Secretary of State’s ban on the open carry of firearms in and within 100 feet of polling locations on Election Day, both Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel filed an emergency appeal in hopes of reinstating it.
On Tuesday, Judge Christopher Murray granted the preliminary injunction, saying that Benson did not follow the proper procedures for enacting the measure.
However, Benson argues that the open carry ban is necessary to prevent voter intimidation at the polls and adds that the presence of firearms at polling places can “cause disruption, fear, or intimidation for voters, election workers, and others present.”
Nessel touched on this issue during a press conference Michigan officials on Wednesday and said they filed the appeal that morning. “We will have this resolved by November 3rd and we will make it clear exactly what the rules are and are not prior to people going to the polls on that particular day,” Nessel stated.
She added that no matter what the outcome of the case is, the polls will still be safe and secure. Nessel says that they do not intend to have law enforcement officers at the polls but they will be nearby if needed.
“We’ve been having ongoing discussions with law enforcement at every different level,” Nessel said. She stressed that nobody should be threatened or intimidated while casting their ballot.
According to state law, many polling locations are already in places where open carry is banned, such as schools and churches, but polling places in and of themselves are not banned from open carry.
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