Guest column: Right to vote is under attack

By Melanie McElroy/Common Cause Michigan

As Americans, we believe it is fundamental that each citizen must have a say in how he or she is governed. It is a right for which many have fought -- and for which many continue to fight to preserve.

But, as we head into a presidential election year, we have seen legislative action in Michigan that places barriers for under-represented voters -- such as young people, the elderly, minorities, low-income people and the disabled -- to register and exercise their right to vote. These are voters that the nonprofit sector strives to engage in the democratic process.

Members of the Michigan Legislature and the secretary of state, in a misguided attempt to curb nonexistent voter fraud, are backing legislation that would make it harder for nonprofits to register under-represented communities to vote -- and for those voters to access the ballot. 

One of the troublesome bills is Senate Bill 751. This bill adds burdensome new regulations for voting, such as showing a photo ID in order to obtain an absentee ballot. This law assumes that all Michigan residents have state-approved photo identification. It does not take into account, however, those with limited mobility who may forgo a driver’s license because they do not want, or cannot afford, a state-issued ID card.

Another troubling provision of this bill is the voter list “cleanup." The legislation would allow the Secretary of State's Office to move voters it deems to be “inactive voters” onto a separate list from “active voters.” The state of Michigan has not been successful in defending its attempts to purge voters from the master voter list. The last attempt was right before the 2008 presidential election by using home foreclosure listings. The courts found this to be disenfranchisement.

The other piece of worrying legislation is Senate Bill 754. This bill would place onerous regulations on organizations that want to run voter registration programs by forcing them to:

1. Register with the Secretary of State's Office.

2. Undergo a training run by the Secretary of State's Office or county clerk.

3. Require voter registration forms to be turned in to the local clerk within 15 days of receipt.

4. Require that voter registration forms are turned in within 24 hours of receipt the week before a voter registration deadline.

The restrictions on voter registration would likely dissuade many organizations that currently register voters who are often not civically engaged or are ignored by campaigns and state agencies that register voters.

These two bills are part of a larger package of legislation that does nothing to increase voter education and participation. They can only be described as efforts to disenfranchise and deter qualified voters from casting a ballot.

Common Cause Michigan wants our state’s elections to be efficient, run with the utmost integrity and without barriers to all citizens who want to exercise their constitutional right and duty.

Instead of focusing on voter fraud, the Michigan Legislature and the secretary of state should prioritize increasing voter turnout. In 2010, only 44 percent of the 7.3 million registered Michigan voters cast a ballot. When fewer than half of eligible voters cast a ballot, the issue of possible voter fraud seems moot. The secretary of state, as the administrator of elections in Michigan, should be working with organizations to register and educate voters -- and increase voter turnout in a nonpartisan manner.

It is not too late. Legislators and the secretary of state still have an opportunity to work with organizations to ensure full civic participation by all citizens.