LANSING – In a move to increase voter participation and ensure that more residents have the opportunity to hold their lawmakers accountable, House Democrats today passed a plan to allow any Michigan resident to vote by absentee ballot.
"The right to vote is the core of our democracy," said House Majority Floor Leader Kathy Angerer (D-Dundee), Chair of the House Ethics and Elections Committee. "In these tough economic times, Michigan residents should not have to choose between voting and showing up for work. By making it easier to vote absentee we can ensure that more Michigan residents make their voice heard."
Under the plan passed today, any Michigan resident will be allowed to vote by absentee ballot without giving a reason. In addition, voters will be able to request an absentee ballot in person, or by mail, fax or e-mail. Similar legislation passed the House in 2007, but was blocked by the Republican-controlled Senate.
Twenty-eight states have already adopted measures that make it easier to vote by absentee ballot. Four states – Hawaii, Minnesota, Nevada and West Virginia – even pay the return postage for absentee ballots.
Currently, Michigan residents are only allowed to vote by absentee ballot if they expect to be absent from the community in which they are registered on Election Day, are physically unable to make it to the polls without assistance, cannot make it to the polls due to their religious beliefs, have been appointed election precinct inspector in a precinct other than their home precinct, are age 60 or older, or who are incarcerated awaiting trial or arraignment.
"No one should be denied the right to vote simply because they can't make it to the polls," said State Representative Jennifer Haase (D-Richmond), Vice Chair of the House Ethics and Elections Committee. "Throughout our history, people have made tremendous sacrifices so we could have the right to vote. We should do everything in our power to move Michigan's election system into the 21st century and make voting more accessible to our hard-working residents."