The Democratic-controlled Michigan State Senate passed four dirty election bills yesterday, dubbed the “State Voting Rights Act.”
The bill, currently before the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, has sparked controversy among critics. This represents a major takeover of the election by the state government and threatens the integrity of the election in many ways.In particular, the special treatment given to “protected persons” is important. Furthermore, Senate Bills 401 to 404 It transfers control of elections from state legislatures to state courts and executive branches and gives the Secretary of State unprecedented power over local governments.
For example, SB 401 gives court-appointed observers the power to monitor local elections. The bill paves the way for ranked choice voting, requires local governments to notify SOS offices before changing ballot drop locations, and provides financial assistance for candidates from protected classes to run for office.
Patrice Johnson, president of Pure Integrity Michigan Elections (PIME), called the bill a major blow to election integrity. “In the name of fairness, these bills create favored ‘protected classes,'” she said. “They are giving authoritarian control to the state’s judicial and executive branches of government over local governments and minimizing the role of duly elected lawmakers. They are using taxpayer money to fund their government takeover.”
Johnson highlighted SB 401’s introduction of the Michigan Voting Rights Assistance Fund. “This bill would create a bottomless pit of funding for legal battles against local governments and their residents, funded by taxpayer money and ‘charitable contributions or other sources.'” She said. “This is like welcoming dark money and institutionalizing banana republic corruption, but keeping the funds separate forever.”
Section 15(1) The Michigan Voting Rights Assistance Fund is established within the State Treasury.
(2) The State Treasurer shall deposit in the Michigan Voting Rights Assistance Fund any moneys or other property received from charitable contributions or other sources. The State Treasurer shall direct the investment of such moneys in the Michigan Voting Rights Assistance Fund and shall credit to the Michigan Voting Rights Assistance Fund any interest and earnings on such investments.
(3) Money in the Michigan Voting Rights Assistance Fund at the end of the fiscal year shall remain in the fund and shall not be transferred to the General Fund.
(4) The Secretary of State is the custodian of the Michigan Voting Rights Assistance Fund and audits the fund.
(5) The Secretary of State shall expend funds from the Michigan Voting Rights Assistance Fund solely for the purpose of reimbursing prospective plaintiffs and local governments for certain expenses.
“Ranked choice voting eliminates one person, one vote and turns elections into a lottery system that disenfranchises voters and cannot be audited,” Johnson said.
SB 401, Section 3, (a) “Alternative election method” means a method of selecting candidates for a local government legislative office other than the city-wide or district election method, including, but not limited to, proportional ranked choice voting, cumulative voting, or limited voting that incorporates aspects of the city-wide and district election methods.
One of the main issues is Senate Bill 404, which has drawn the ire of Republican lawmakers. Former Secretary of State and current Sen. Ruth Johnson (R-Holly) strongly opposed the bill, saying it would violate voter privacy and put unnecessary burdens on local election officials.
“These bills would cost taxpayers millions of dollars and create completely unnecessary new obstacles for clerks and local governments,” said Senator Johnson, who argued the bills go beyond existing federal and state voting rights protections and would establish excessive bureaucracy.
Senator Johnson’s opposition was centered on concerns about electioneering inside polling places, which she highlighted as threats to voter privacy and the possibility of improper influence inside polling places.
“What this bill would allow, even if I’m a candidate, to walk into a polling place and say, ‘Hi, I’m Ruth Johnson. Please take this snack while you’re standing in line to vote,'” she said, highlighting the possibility that candidates could campaign inside polling places. Distributing food or drink to voters within 100 feet of a polling place is currently illegal and considered campaigning.
Sen. Johnson offered two amendments to SB 404 aimed at restricting such practices, but both were defeated in a Senate vote. One of the proposed amendments sought to ban candidates from distributing food or drinks inside polling stations, while the other proposed limiting such activities to areas outside polling stations.
Senator Ruth Johnson concluded her remarks by saying, “The voting process is a private opportunity for people to express their preferences without undue influence or interference.”
Sen. Jim Runestad (R-Ill.) voted against all four bills, saying of SB 402, “Establishing an outside government ‘agency’ to collect election data that the public knows is proprietary is a dangerous precedent and a violation of the public trust.”
SB 403 explicitly allocates language assistance for elections to local city and town governments, and if the bill becomes law, it would “impose a significant financial burden on local governments, especially as part of the process at their polls on Election Day,” Runstad said.
He called for legislation and funding to develop English language programs for all non-native English-speaking voters and non-voters “to reduce the need for these types of laws.” He criticized SB 403 as financially unrealistic and unsustainable.
Rep. Patrice Johnson warned that lawmakers should not assume they can overturn these bills even if party control changes in the Nov. 5 election. “These bills are scheduled to take effect in January 2026, but section 13(5) of SB 401 says, ‘The Secretary of State may enact rules under the Administrative Procedure Act,'” Johnson warned. “The executive branch has tried to change the rules and enact SB 603 early under the Administrative Procedure Act. It makes sense they will try to do the same with this entire bill.”
The four bills now move to the Michigan House of Representatives, where further debate is expected as lawmakers address concerns about election costs, potential court battles and balancing the fairness of election results with equal rights for all people.
If you’re a Michigan resident, you can:
Contact your state representatives now and tell them to vote NO on House Bill 66 and Senate Bills 401, 402, 403 and 404.
Reprinted with permission from PIME (Pure Integrity Michigan Elections) Guest contributor Jerrold Jones
