Snyder signs law restricting ballot issue info

“They go together”, Johnson said. “That’s actually an issue I’ve been promoting for many, many years”.

“Michigan is one of only 10 states that allows residents to vote for just a party affiliation rather than individual people”, Snyder said in a press release Tuesday. “I think it’s kind of irresponsible for people to not look at what they’re voting on”, Vansyckle said.

Almost half of the voters in Michigan’s proverbial bellwether, suburban Detroit’s Oakland County, cast straight-party ballots in the 2014 general election.

Voters like Tyler Vansyckle agree, even though he says he’s never voted straight-ticket.

The last two times the legislature tried to ban straight-ticket voting it was overturned by voters in a referendum.

He is also asking the legislature to allow no-reason absentee voting.

If Michigan lawmakers really want to get up to speed on elections and ease the process for the electorate, they need to pass a House bill that would make it much easier to obtain an absentee ballot.

The new law includes $5 million for additional voting booths and tabulators after clerks raised concerns that removing the option will cause longer lines; but, that also causes concern for some local election officials.

The legislation was the last bill to pass the Legislature in December, growing at the last minute from a non-controversial bill that had passed the Senate unanimously at 13 pages, into a totally revamped 53 pages that was passed with no public hearings and with only Republican votes.

Republicans say this was in response to complaints from clerks that eliminating straight-ticket voting would lead to longer lines at the polls. Republicans in MI have tended to support eliminating it, while Democrats have been united behind keeping it in place. Currently, absentee voters who satisfy one of the six requirements can request to be placed on a permanent list so they automatically are mailed an application. But the appropriation also makes the measure immune from a referendum by voters.

MI was one of only ten states that had straight ticket voting.