Sen. Ruth Johnson has been concerned about the effect high numbers of mail-in ballots may have on the integrity of the election. | Wikimedia Commons
Sen. Ruth Johnson has been concerned about the effect high numbers of mail-in ballots may have on the integrity of the election. | Wikimedia Commons
The Michigan Senate recently finalized legislation written by Sen. Ruth Johnson (R-Holly) that will help local clerks meet the high demand of absentee ballots, which are being submitted at record levels this year.
“We must improve Election Day efficiency while also protecting the integrity of our elections as our local clerks prepare for the number of people voting by mail in the Nov. 3 election to more than double the amount from 2016,” said Johnson, according to MiSenateGOP. “These reforms can help reduce mistakes caused by election officials working long hours by allowing local clerks to begin preprocessing absentee ballots to prepare them to be counted more quickly on Election Day and allowing clerks to shift in fresh workers at absentee voter counting boards.”
Senate Bill 757 allows cities with a minimum population of 25,000 to have the opportunity to preprocess absentee ballots prior to this year's election.
Sen. Ruth Johnson
| #MiSenateGOP
Removal of absentee ballots from their secrecy envelopes would not be allowed by local clerks as part of preprocessing. The clerks would need to secure absentee ballots in containers that are approved by the Board of Canvassers for counting on Election Day.
SB 757 was expanded, requiring clerks to contact voters if signatures on absentee ballots don’t match the signatures with the state. It would also allow clerks to have shifts of workers in an absentee voting counting board, given that no one leaves the voter location before the polls are closed. When it comes to counting boards, there can’t be any breaks in between shifts, ballots cannot be unattended and a minimum of one election inspector from each major party should always be present.
“These are commonsense measures that will help our clerks and election workers while preserving integrity,” Johnson told MiSenateGOP. “This legislation will allow our local election officials to efficiently and securely process the estimated 3 million absentee ballots expected to be cast in this November’s election.”
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