State Rep. Jerry Neyer today voted to protect the security of Michigan’s elections process amidst advancing plans that raise concerns going forward.

Instead of simply implementing new requirements that were contained within Proposal 2 during the November 2022 election, House Democrats passed bills that put election security at risk, weaken signature verification and create different parameters for early voting across Michigan.

“Taking what voters approved and making it into something else only further erodes trust in our elections and government processes,” said Neyer, of Shepherd. “This will make our elections system more confusing for voters and hard-working people who staff and run our elections – all at a time when people have demanded more effectiveness and efficiency in how elections are conducted.”

Neyer outlined issues with House Bills 4695-4702 – noting areas where reforms are partisan-driven and sacrifice security for the sake of supposed access:

• Unequal voting access: The bills would authorize state and local officials to send unsolicited absentee applications to the voters of their choice — enabling partisan actors to prioritize their own supporters. The bills would also let clerks unequally extend early voting beyond the nine days required under the Constitution — creating further disparities in voting access.

• Weakened election security: The plan would change a bipartisan law that requires security camera monitoring of absentee ballot drop boxes. The change means drop boxes in some areas may no longer be monitored. The bills would also decrease signature verification standards and make it more difficult to reject fraudulent ballots.

• Post-election voting: The bills would allow people to register to vote and cast a ballot even after polls close on election day. The proposal comes on top of a law passed earlier this year to count overseas ballots received after election day even without a postmark verifying that the ballot was submitted on time.

The plans now move to the Senate for consideration.