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Michigan’s Senate extends expired licenses and waives fees in a bid to force Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to abandon her appointment-only system for branch services.
Jocelyn Benson says her department still needs $25 million from the state to get through a backlog of appointments for car registrations and license transfers caused by the pandemic.
Supporters say you need an ID to buy beer so you should need one to vote. Foes say eliminating an option allowing voters without ID to still cast ballots amounts to an illegal fee. The courts may decide.
Benson’s legislative testimony Tuesday followed criticism from Republicans and from some members of the public who waited months to get an advanced in-person appointment at SOS branch offices.
Republicans drop plans to require residents to mail a photocopy of their ID to apply for an absentee ballot. But they’d still have to give up some personal information to qualify.
Republicans want to increase confidence in elections by allowing partisans to take video and broadcast vote counting. Some fear that make it impossible to work — and could expose private information.
New records show 11,417 Michiganders voted without ID in November. Contrary to popular belief, they weren’t all in Democratic counties — and in almost all communities, no-ID ballots represented less than 1 percent of votes.
Jocelyn Benson writes that moving services largely online has improved customer service and satisfaction, but lawmakers need to work with her on more improvements.
A Republican reform would lock boxes at 5 p.m. on Election Day, rather than the day before. Clerks say that could make it hard to vote and create long lines.
Local officials in hundreds of Michigan communities installed more than 1,100 absentee ballot drop boxes last year, state data shows. Election officials say new regulations proposed by Senate Republicans threaten to limit the popular option in future elections.
A citizens group charged with taking the politics out of the redistricting process draws fire because an adviser donated to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
“I pledge to be part of a respectful dialogue going forward and challenge my colleagues and others to do the same,” Regent Ron Weiser said at a board meeting Friday. The group censured his harsh words about Democratic and GOP leaders.
A vote to censure is one of the few actions the body can take, since members are elected. Weiser’s comments have renewed debate over a longstanding culture of misogyny in state political circles.
In a speech to Oakland County activists, state Republican Party Chair Ron Weiser also announced plans for a petition drive to tighten voting laws to give the GOP an edge.
The Democratic Secretary of State and a Republican who led a fraud inquiry agree on the need for more training and other reforms, despite vastly different conclusions about the November election.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson refused an invitation to speak before a House oversight committee that hosted Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, saying it amplified “conspiracy theories.” The GOP chair said Benson’s playing “cheap political games.”
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says it could take until Friday to finalize state election results because of high turnout. Local clerks say they hope to have tallies by Wednesday morning.
