LANSING, MI – The Michigan Senate approved bills that increase the penalty for ballot harvesting and fraudulently filling out absentee ballot applications to a felony.
Senate bills 977 and 978 would make filling out an application to receive multiple ballots, providing false statements on the application or forging a signature a felony punishment leading to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000 or both. They were sponsored by Sen. Kevin Daley, R-Lapeer.
“Our government is based on the notion that people get to choose their elected voices in the capital,” Republican state Sen. Kevin Daley, a sponsor of the bills, said. “People need to have confidence that their elections are being conducted honestly, and that they can trust the results.”
Michigan is sending out a mail-in ballot application to all registered voters for the Nov. 3 election. By the end of September, more than 2.5 million voters – 32% overall — had already requested a ballot in the state.
This is good news/bad news. 32% absentee balloting isn’t good.
I am voting absentee this year. According to my emailed USPS notification, my ballot is arriving in the mail today.
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We are going to the EC office for early voting, which starts the 14th. No way I can stand in line this year and I prefer not to get an absentee ballot.
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I wish this was already through the legislature. It seems there is a lot of voter fraud in Michigan or am I mixing up states?
l am watching for mine because I had signed up for absentee voting. I have heard they were sent out but I haven’t received mine yet.
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Call your local city clerk and ask. Mine told me to call back if I hadn’t received mine by Oct. 10. I DID receive mine today, and they sent me a follow-up email to let me know that it had been mailed.
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I’m looking it up right now.
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I checked and I am listed to get a ballot. I called and she said they just started sending them out yesterday. I will be watching for it. I followed your suggestion and am on that Post Office notification so I shouldn’t miss it.
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Ohio’s system is the same as Michigan’s – the SOS sends absentee ballot requests to everyone, and even provides a way to just ask on a piece of paper, and ballots are sent to those requesting. But no info on penalties for crimes committed. Curious? (methinks not)
I used absentee ballot once, then went to Board of Elections for early voting once, only to find out Ohio treats early voting as absentee ballot voting, meaning no early votes are counted until after active voting ends, then early voting is counted with the absentee ballots, after the day of voting votes are counted.
Confused? Ya. Think that’s the way it’s sposed to be.
No one cares. imo
Diebold runs our voting machines, and Diebold sits a few miles away. in the industrial park right outside CAK airport. Too many bucks to be made for ignoring rather than fighting the corruption. imo
Will be voting in person again this year. Best way for my vote to be counted. imo
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Michigan had, up until a couple of years ago, a much more robust voting system with strong voter ID laws. Then our stupid voters changed the rules. You couldn’t vote absentee without a reason (or be over the age of 60), and you had to find and fill out a ballot request.
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More from Michigan:
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