Legislation signed by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday updates election law in Michigan to more closely align the state with other states through the elimination of the option for voters to select a straight-party ticket on the ballot.
“Michigan is one of only 10 states that allows residents to vote for just a party affiliation rather than individual people,” Snyder said. “It’s time to choose people over politics. To alleviate concerns that this change could lead to longer wait times for voters, I’m asking the legislature to enact secured no-reason absentee voting.”
Michigan is one of 13 states that doesn’t allow for some form of early or no-reason absentee voting, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Snyder, in a letter further explaining his position, called on the Senate to pass House Bill 4724, which would allow secure forms of no-reason absentee voting to aid in alleviating the possibility of longer wait times at polling locations.
State Sen. Marty Knollenberg (R) sponsored Senate Bill 13, which is now known as Public Act 268 of 2015. The legislation contains a $5 million appropriation for the purchase of new voting equipment to ease logistical concerns on election day.