voting
Three localities voted to adopt ranked choice voting. But additional roadblocks remain.
Three cities in Michigan voted on Tuesday to move to a ranked choice voting system for local elections. But whether the proposals passed by voters will take effect remains uncertain. Voters in East Lansing, Kalamazoo and Royal Oak approved initiatives placed on the ballot by Rank MI Vote, a nonprofit organization modeled after Voters Not […]
Vice President Kamala Harris to NC A&T students: ‘When you vote, it scares some folks.’
This is what happens when the vice president of the United States visits Greensboro: Excitable German shepherds, restrained by their military handlers, sniff every duffel, trash can, and bathroom of a terminal at Piedmont Triad International Airport. Poised, yet nervy and as quiet as bats, Secret Service agents in dark suits and sunglasses scan the […]
Michigan launches address confidentiality program to protect violence survivors
After Nicole Beverly left her abusive ex-husband in 2009 after a particularly brutal attack where she said he beat her and held a gun to her head, she moved four times — each in the hopes that her abuser wouldn’t be able to find her. However, she says he found her new addresses in unexpected […]
Column: Breaking down barriers to voting for people with disabilities
There is much excitement that comes with an Election Day in Michigan. It’s an opportunity for all of us – no matter our background or political affiliation – to decide as an electorate on the important issues of the day and on who will represent us at the various levels of government. And it’s a […]
As ranked choice voting gains momentum, parties in power push back
Over the past decade, ranked choice voting has become increasingly popular. From conservative Utah to liberal New York City, 13 million American voters in 51 jurisdictions — including all of Alaska and Maine — now use the system, under which voters rank candidates based on preference, leading to an instant runoff in a crowded race. […]
Dispute over documents delays considerations to move election tabulators trial
Oakland County Circuit Judge Jeffery S. Matis will consider a request to move the case against attorneys Stefanie Lambert Junttila and Matt DePerno and former state rep. Daire Rendon (R-Lake City) to Antrim County in two weeks, following a hearing on the motion Wednesday afternoon. Lambert Junttila, who was the last person charged in Special […]
U.S. House Republicans pass overhaul of federal elections system out of committee
WASHINGTON — On a party-line vote, the U.S. Committee on House Administration on Thursday night passed a bill that would enact strict new voting laws for states, such as requiring copies of IDs for voting by mail, and set penalties for states that allow voting by noncitizens in local elections. The 224-page bill, H.R. 4563, was […]
Ruling paves way for criminal charges in scheme to obtain voting tabulators after 2020 election
A ruling Wednesday has opened the way for criminal charges to be filed against nine Michigan supporters of former President Donald Trump, including a sheriff and a former candidate for attorney general. The decision, released Wednesday by Oakland County Circuit Judge Phyllis McMillen, determined that it is illegal for someone to take possession of a […]
As states hunt for new voters, Massachusetts adds thousands via Medicaid applications
Massachusetts saw a more-than-five-fold jump in voter registration applications through social service agencies in the last election cycle, new federal data shows. The striking increase comes after the state implemented an automatic voter registration system that includes Medicaid applicants. Any eligible voter in the state who applies for Medicaid is automatically added to the rolls, […]
Federal health insurance website lags in voter registration assistance, Democrats charge
A group of U.S. Senate Democrats is pressing the Biden administration to make it easier for the millions of Americans who sign up each year for health insurance through a federal website to register to vote. The lawmakers, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wrote in a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary […]
Red and blue state divide grows even wider in 2023’s top voting and election laws
Next year’s elections are still 16 months away. But for voters, perhaps the most important developments took place during the first half of this year — when states drafted and passed the legislation that will shape how those contests are run. “The rules that will govern the 2024 election are being written today,” said Megan […]
States with low election turnout did little in 2023 to expand voting access
This year’s state legislative sessions are almost all wrapped up. And on voting and elections policy, the headlines have largely focused on a new wave of restrictive voting laws passed in big Republican-led states like Florida, Texas, and Ohio, as well as expansive laws approved in Democratic-led states like Michigan, Minnesota, and New York. But another development […]