Reps. Meekhof, Kowall, Haines and Schuitmaker, having reserved the right to explain their protest against the passage of the bill, made the following statement:
“Mr. Speaker and members of the House:
Voting is the bedrock of our democracy and we must be careful that any changes to the way we vote protects the integrity of our elections. Allowing no-reason absentee voting greatly increases the potential for voter fraud and undermines confidence in our election results.
Absentee ballots are already available for seniors, people who are ill or incapacitated, military members on active duty and people who will not be in town on Election Day. If we want to increase early voting, the proper way to do it is to allow voters to vote at their clerk’s office before the election, in person, where their identity can be verified.
Another concern is that we may not want to encourage people to vote before Election Day because they will not have all the information available during a campaign to make an informed decision.”