It looks like the ballot recount in Michigan will move forward, unless the courts decide to get involved. This Week in Review, Weekend Edition host Rebecca Kruth and senior news analyst Jack Lessenberry talk about the recount as well as a state bill that would tighten up voter ID laws and another that would ban plastic bag bans.
Ballot recount
President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign and state Republicans both filed an objection to Green Party candidate Jill Stein’s request for a ballot recount in Michigan this week. On Friday, a state elections board deadlocked over whether to adopt the objection. That means the recount moves ahead, unless the courts get involved.
If it does move forward, Lessenberry says he’s almost certain that a recount won’t change the totals in Michigan by very much.
“Maybe [it’ll change] by a few hundred votes. Michigan has had a very clean counting and casting process,” Lessenberry said.
Voter ID bill
A bill on its way to the state House floor would make voter ID rules stricter. Under the bill, people who forget their ID when they go to vote would have to cast a provisional ballot and then prove their identity to the clerk within ten days. Some say the bill would create barriers to voting, while supporters say it raises the bar.
Lessenberry calls the bill “a method of depressing [voter] turnout.”
“There’s been no significant case of voter fraud at all in this state,” he said.
Bill to ban bag bans
A bill that would restrict cities from taxing or banning plastic grocery bags and other containers in Michigan passed through the state Legislature this week. Proponents of the bill say it would keep things consistent across the state, while those opposed say it strips local government control.
“The question now is whether Gov. Snyder, who sometimes likes to be known as an environmentalist, will sign this. My guess is that he will,” Lessenberry said.
