What You Should Know About the SECURE MI VOTE Initiative
Despite coming off the safest and most secure election in history in November 2020 and in response to vetoes of voter suppression bills by Governor Whitmer, there has emerged an effort by Michigan Republicans, known as Secure MI Vote, to collect just over 340,000 signatures to send their proposals directly to the Republican-controlled Michigan Legislature for consideration and adoption.
If passed by the Legislature, the voter suppression measures would not be placed on the ballot but would become law without the Governor’s signature. That means also that potentially, only 3.4% of the state’s population could negatively impact millions of Michigan voters and impose severe restrictions on voting rights, especially in predominately Black and Brown communities.
An investigation into the 2020 and 2021 elections revealed no widespread voter fraud and yet Michigan Republicans persist in their illegitimate and nefarious designs to disenfranchise specific vulnerable constituencies by making it more difficult to vote. The initiative proposes to amend, or change, nine sections of Michigan’s election code, in addition to adding three new sections to it. The proposal focuses on a few key points:
Stepping up photo ID requirements.
Eliminating and replacing the affidavit voting option.
Preventing the mailing of unsolicited absent voter ballots and applications.
Establishing a “Voter Access Fund;” and
Limiting how election funds are acquired and spent.
Voters are already required to show photo identification at the polls. If a voter has no photo identification, the voter is allowed to complete an affidavit of identity and risk going to jail if he/she is lying about who they are. Further, with the historically low voter turnout in the city of Detroit, it is nearly impossible to believe that anyone would take the time or have the desperate inclination to lie about their identity just to cast a ballot. Most if not all voters are generally very conscientious citizens who are well informed about the issues and the candidates of their choice. It is inconsistent with common sense to suggest that many of the citizens who even bother to vote could be voting criminals.
The proposals also seek to prevent the mailing of unsolicited absent voter applications and ballots. This practice has long been of particular benefit to our seniors, many of whom would suffer a considerable hardship by having to travel to the polls and stand in line for an extended period to cast a ballot.
In summary, the Secure MI Vote initiative is not about Security….it is simply about suppression! If you are approached by one the canvassers with this petition, I’d urge you to do as the Detroit Branch NAACP says, and “Decline to Sign”. It should be noted that many of the petition drives across the state are in rural areas, not in urban or suburban areas where larger numbers of voters reside. This bogus assault on voting rights and access to the ballot will not stand! I urge you to resist this attempt to suppress the vote and do not sign this petition!
