The bills are part of Republican-led legislation that aims to ensure the security of Michigan elections. The efforts have come under fire from voting rights activists and Democratic lawmakers, who argue GOP lawmakers are pushing the bills in response unfounded claims that the 2020 election was compromised by voter fraud.
Reps. Matt Hall, R- Marshall, and Ryan Berman, R- Commerce Township, spoke in support of the bills Tuesday, arguing they limit the potential for security issues and would “restore faith in our elections.”
“The issue this legislation addresses was a concern that continued to come up and in order to restore faith in our elections process and ensure security in our elections, we should remove any doubt that an internet connection could be used for nefarious purposes,” Hall said.
Hall referenced the concerns that constituents had over the 2020 election in his justification for the bill. Doubts cast upon the 2020 election began to mount last November while former President Donald Trump falsely insisted the election was rigged in favor of Joe Biden.
The legislation “simply codifies procedures already included in elections manual and guidance from our Secretary of State,” Berman said. “We are not creating new burdens for the people in our communities to administer our elections.”
While several Democrats voted with Republicans to support bills within the package, others argued the Republican-sponsored legislation gives credence to unsubstantiated conspiracy theories.
Rep. David LaGrand, D- Grand Rapids, who voted against the majority of Democrats Tuesday, said that he doesn’t want to talk past or minimize the concerns of his Republican colleagues. LaGrand said that people should be careful when talking about voter fraud, “but it is also true that we are in a real place where 40% of the country has deep concerns about election integrity.”
Rep. Matt Koleszar, D- Plymouth, took to the House floor Tuesday to speak against House Bill 4838, sponsored by Rep. Phil Green, R- Millington. The bill would prohibit electronic poll books from being connected to the internet.
Since electronic poll books are not connected to the internet at any time during an election, Democrats said that the bill would send a confusing message to voters.
“The bills are a solution in search of a problem,” Koleszar said. “They further feed the ‘Big Lie’ and are intended to cause confusion among voters... With so much important work to do, we shouldn’t be wasting time and taxpayer dollars on legislation addressing problems that don’t exist.”
Rep. Cynthia Johnson, D- Detroit, echoed Koleszar’s comments, urging Republicans to stop casting doubt on Michigan’s election process. Johnson accused Republicans of entertaining voter fraud conspiracies and said this type of legislation wastes time and taxpayer dollars.
“There’s no need to prohibit voting machines from being connected to the internet, they’re already not connected to internet,” Johnson said.
Speaking against House Bill 4837, which would prevent third parties from accessing the qualified voter file, Johnson pointed out that the Secretary of State’s Office already has safeguards in place to ensure organizations can’t get access to voter information.
In a statement, Benson said the 2020 election was the most secure in Michigan history, and that the department “appreciate(s) the Legislature recognizing this by codifying three practices we were already utilizing that contributed to its success.”
The other piece of the package, House Bill 4840, sponsored by Rep. Ken Borton, R- Gaylord, would require ballots from state or federal elections to be retained for 22 months after certification. Currently, they can be destroyed after 30 days.
All three bills passed in the Republican-controlled House on Tuesday and will now go to the Michigan Senate for consideration.
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