voting rights

A state Senate committee voted to create a Michigan Voting Rights Act, largely in response to the U.S. Supreme Court stricking down key portions of the federal Voting Rights Act.

A Michigan Court of Claims judge says the state Bureau of Elections can’t deny access to records that reveal the method voters used to cast a ballot in an election.

The Michigan Court of Claims has dismissed a Republican lawsuit over absentee voting by civilians and members of Michigan military families living overseas.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson called the executive order, which tightens restrictions on mail-in voting, "illegal" and said she plans to fight it in court.

The secretary of state's office investigated 15 voter registrations that the Macomb County clerk flagged as possibly noncitizens.

A Michigan ballot campaign that would require residents to show proof of citizenship while registering to vote could start collecting signatures soon.

A Republican-led state House committee opened hearings Tuesday on a proposed amendment to the Michigan Constitution that would require people to show proof of citizenship to register to vote. The measure would also require people to show a government issued ID before they can cast a ballot.

Congress is considering a bill, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, that would amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require a birth certificate or U.S. passport or naturalization paperwork to register to vote.

Civil liberties groups are concerned that the incoming Republican majority in Washington may act to water down federal voting rights law.

Republicans are proposing a constitutional amendment to toughen Michigan’s voting rules. It could be headed to the statewide ballot next year.