Urge Your Michigan Senator: Prevent Absentee Ballot Counting Delays This Fall

By MUUSJN on Monday, September 14th, 2020

Urge Your Senator Today
to Vote for SB 757
To Allow Ballots to be Processed A Day Early

Call YOUR MICHIGAN SENATOR

Click HERE to find the phone and email of your state Senator. Tell him/her:
  • Vote YES on SB 757;
  • It allows clerks to handle a large influx of absentee ballots by starting a day early;
  • It allows tired poll workers to work in shifts rather than staying long hours.

A record number of absentee ballots were cast during the 2020 primary as a result of people taking advantage of Michigan’s new no reason absentee ballot law during the COVID-19 pandemic. Election activists, clerks and legislators from both parties are concerned that the outcome of close races could delayed three or more days, creating election related chaos.

Senator Ruth Johnson (R), a former clerk and sponsor of SB 757, said starting the ballot process a day early should be a priority since “there may be 3 million absentee votes in November, which is double our last highest amount almost”. In addition to creating uncertainty with certain close races, Senator Johnson said additional processing time means that poll workers will have to work longer shifts, perhaps 20 hours or more. Starting a day before the election will allow more reasonable shifts for poll workers on election day.

Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has urged legislators to support SB 757. A staff at Senator Majority Leader Mike Shirkey office, who now seems receptive to this bill, informed MUUSJN that a vote on SB 757 is “likely” tomorrow (Tuesday, September 15th). There is a sister bill to SB 757 that has been introduced by Democrats in the Michigan House.

SB 757 will allow a clerk in a city or township with a population of at least 25 million to perform certain pre-processing activities on the day before the election if notice has been given to the Secretary of State at least 40 days before election day. This would not involve tabulating absentee ballots but would mainly involve removing ballots from an outer envelope.

Category: News |