LANSING - In a move to increase voter participation and ensure that more residents have the opportunity to hold their lawmakers accountable, State Representative Terry Brown (D-Pigeon) today supported a plan to allow any Michigan resident to vote by absentee ballot. The plan now heads to the Senate.
"Many Michigan residents cannot get to the polls during their long work day or have other reasons for needing to vote absentee that don't fall under the strict rules the state currently has," Brown said. "I know someone with a reading disability who didn't vote for years because he was too embarrassed to ask for help at the polls. By allowing anyone to obtain an absentee ballot without being required to give a reason, Michigan is saying that every person's voice matters."
Currently, the only people allowed to vote by absentee ballot are those who expect to be absent from the community in which they are registered on Election Day, those who are physically unable to make it to the polls without assistance, those who cannot make it to the polls due to their religious beliefs, those who have been appointed election precinct inspector in a precinct other than their home precinct, those who are age 60 or older, or those who are incarcerated awaiting trial or arraignment.
Twenty-eight states have already adopted measures that make it easier to vote by absentee ballot. Four states - Hawaii, Minnesota, Nevada and West Virginia - even pay the return postage for absentee ballots.
"Regardless of the candidate or party that people vote for, the important thing is that more residents vote," Brown said. "Voting is the way to hold our leaders accountable and participate in the future of our community, our state and our nation. Opening up absentee balloting is an excellent way to increase the number of people who are engaged in making a difference."