Michigan petition drive begins today, Wednesday, Feb. 21 in two dozen cities
The Promote the Vote campaign to make voting more secure and accessible will host launch parties with hundreds of volunteers in two dozen cities across Michigan on Wednesday, in an effort to jumpstart its petition drive to get an initiative on the November ballot.
The February 21 get-togethers are being led by grassroots organizers and will teach participants how to collect petition signatures. Among the Promote the Vote parties taking place on Wednesday:
Flint: Court Street Nonprofit-Doris Sain Community House, 727 East Street, at 5:30 p.m.
Detroit: TechTown, 440 Burroughs, at 6 p.m.
Grand Rapids: Wealthy Theater Annex, 1110 Wealthy Street, 5:30 p.m.
Lake Orion: 2605 Ottawa Dr., 5:45 p.m.
On February 13, the State Board of Canvassers approved Promote the Vote’s petition form, which seeks to amend the state Constitution to make voting more accessible. The amendment would:
- Protect the right to vote a secret ballot.
- Ensure military service members and overseas voters get their ballots in time for their votes to count.
- Provide voters with the option to vote straight party.
- Automatically register citizens at the Secretary of State’s office unless the citizen declines.
- Allow a citizen to register to vote until 15 days before an election by mail or in person. After that, citizens may register to vote in person with proof of residency up to and on Election Day.
- Provide all registered voters access to an absentee ballot for any reason.
- Ensure the accuracy and integrity of elections by auditing election results.
The coalition will soon begin collecting approximately 316,000 signatures to get the measure on the November ballot. The campaign is led by a broad coalition that includes the League of Women Voters, the ACLU of Michigan, the Michigan League for Public Policy and the state and Detroit branches of the NAACP.
The proposed reforms mirror election laws in 40 other states that allow for more time to either register or cast a ballot. For more information, go to https://promotethevotemi.com/