The Michigan Senate approved bills Tuesday to create a state-level Voting Rights Act Democrats say will fill gaps created when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down major portions of the federal voting rights law earlier this year.
The bills would allow individuals to file lawsuits challenging local actions that could make voting more difficult or confusing – especially for minorities. They would also expand access to election-related materials in languages other than English.
Also, the legislation would create a Michigan Voting and Elections Database and Institute that would collect information about and develop plans to improve voting systems and election administration.
Michigan has a voter-approved amendment to the state constitution that assigns drawing congressional and legislative maps to an independent bipartisan redistricting commission. But the Supreme Court decision also struck down portions designed to ensure voting rights of minorities are protected.
Senator Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield), who chairs the Senate Elections and Ethics Committee, said it is up to states to ensure voter protections in the face of Supreme Court rulings and actions by the Trump administration.
“So the Supreme Court gutted major provisions of the Voting Rights Act and now, again, as with everything else, it’s up to the states to come forward and protect our constituents,” he said. “Whether it’s after Roe versus Wade or after this Supreme Court decision on the Voting Rights Act.”
Michigan voters adopted the Right to Reproductive Freedom amendment in 2022, after the Supreme Court struck down the federally guaranteed right to abortion. The Michigan Legislature also followed up with laws lifting abortion restrictions while Democrats controlled both chambers.
“This does show the importance of having strong state legislatures who will defend our very democracy when it is threatened at the federal level,” Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) said after the vote.
The bills were approved on party-line votes. Republicans argued the bills would impose burdens on local clerks and would make it easier for ineligible people to vote.
“They would create a huge bureaucracy under the Secretary of State with the primary purpose, it would seem, to facilitate lawsuits against our local units of government and our hard-working clerks,” said Senator Ruth Johnson (R-Groveland Township), a former Michigan Secretary of State.
The bills now go to the Republican-controlled Michigan House, where they are likely to languish.
“House Republicans aren’t interested in passing bills just for show, that duplicate federal protections, that have been in place for decades,” said Representative Rachelle Smit (R-Martin), who chairs the House Election Integrity Committee. “While the Senate is busy wasting time on campaign bills, House Republicans will remain focused on improving Michigan elections by safeguarding systems and ensuring only citizens can cast a ballot.”
