LANSING (WKZO-AM) — The Michigan House held a late night session Wednesday to push a bill eliminating straight-ticket voting in Michigan, despite the option’s popularity with voters and county clerks.
The option was so popular, in fact, that the last time Republicans passed a ban, a voter initiative was launched. A referendum was held, prompting 60 percent of the electorate to restore the option.
A greater number of Democrats tend to vote straight-ticket, which is why Jon Hoadley, D-Kalamazoo, said Republicans are so gung-ho about ending it. He said they waited until after the most-recent election — at the point furthest from the next election — before trying to get rid of it again.
“This is partisan, political electioneering at its worst,” Hoadley said.
It passed 54-51, and only after it was tie-barred to a bill allowing no-reason absentee balloting.
Republicans point out 41 states have already gotten rid of the straight-ticket option.
Hoadley said that’s because many of those states have enacted voting by mail, no reason absentee voting, online voting and other reforms that have done away with lines at polling places. He says Michigan, currently, doesn’t have any of those reforms.
“At the same time that some states have moved away from straight-ticket voting, those same states are implementing ways to increase the convenience, the accuracy and the security of voting,” Hoadley said.
The Senate has already passed the bill, but without links to other reforms.
Senate leaders have already strongly voiced their opposition to no reason absentee voting and have actually proposed legislation making it tougher to vote absentee.
– John McNeill
