Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the Senate on October 12, 2011

Click here to view bill details.

Another attempt to keep it a two party system when both the Republicans and the Democrats are hard at work to destroy this state and nation.

 Great bill.  With the way Acorn and its supporters like Barack Obama and the SEIU using voter registration fraud last election, every regulation to counter voting fraud is needed.  Democrats have no morals or values of the Constitution and it needs to be protected.

Great bill. 

This bill is a waste of time. Voter fraud is a made up problem with a freedom robbing solution.

Senator Young, under his constitutional right of protest (Art. 4, Sec. 18), protested against the passage of Senate Bill No. 754. Senator Young’s statement is as follows: I rise before my colleagues to inform you that we are missing an opportunity to make our voting system simpler and better. Instead, we are making it more complex and harder. We are putting burdensome new rules on direct democracy as practiced by the citizens of this state. Florida has enacted similar laws, and they are facing a strong court challenge in that state. Do we really want to silence the voices of the people? Are we enacting prior restraints on groups that wish to put questions directly before the voters? We are putting new hurdles in the way of voting registration and, significantly, we are missing an opportunity to extend absentee voting to citizens without questioning their intention or motives or reasons. Madam President, I believe it can barely be said that this is a package of bills that trusts government over the people, especially state government. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, “There is no safer depository of the rights than in the hands of the people themselves.” At some level, I am surprised that it is coming from the side of the aisle that usually professes to distrust government. Because we are missing an opportunity to help democracy and instead are placing additional burdens on democracy, I could not support this package of bills.

Senators Bieda and Young asked and were granted unanimous consent to make statements and moved that the statements be printed in the Journal. The motion prevailed. Senator Bieda’s statement is as follows: This is a very simple amendment. We are all familiar with no-reason absentee ballots. What this amendment does is it will allow a voter to obtain an absentee ballot without requiring the voter to mark one of six reasons why the voter cannot vote at the polls. With the adoption of this amendment, voters will no longer need to stretch the truth when requesting a ballot. Lines at polling places will be shorter, voter turnout will increase, and voters can study the ballot at their convenience. Currently, a majority of the states across the Union allow no-reason absentee voting, and it is time that Michigan made voting easier. It is, after all, a right. Senator Young’s statement is as follows: Madam President, I would like to start with a quote: “Democracy is worth dying for because it is the most deeply, honorable form of government ever devised by man.” President Ronald Reagan. Madam President, I am offering this amendment to fix what I believe is an oversight in the legislation. We shared this amendment with the majority and the department during the committee process, and I do hope that we can include this very important exception in this bill. As you know, the bill requires a driver’s license to be shown for registration to be considered to have been made in-person. That is true even though the person is actually in-person at the Secretary of the State’s office when making this transaction. Of course, in many cases, the person is both registering to vote and applying for a driver’s license at the same time. My amendment allows a birth certificate to be used as sufficient proof to allow in-person registration since, as I have noted, the applicant won’t have the driver’s license at the time of application. This amendment encourages the efforts made by several secretaries of state to encourage the people to get registered to vote at the same time as they apply for their driver’s licenses. I ask for your support on this very important amendment.

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 We conservatives would like to put forth our final statement to the citizens of the United States pertaining to the way this country is headed and the elections in November 2012:

 

A.   If you love your entitlements that someone else pays for please vote for Barack Obama, liberal Senators like Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin and any Congressperson who has a progressive/liberal ideology.  Remember this!  The moeny that "someone else pays for" eventually runs out because revenues are just not there to collect.  Then what? Stagnation of a huge country is what follows.

B.   If you want this great country to have its ups and downs, growth and correction periods but produces positive growth and keeping America strong and prosperous going forward, places America's exceptionalism at the top, then vote for your national and state conservatives.

Remember this:  Chosing "A" above has the effect to bring a complete breakdown of the economy, usher in socialism where citizens will decide to not work for a living and just live on subsistance from the central government, much like Cuba. Supporters of this system will re-elect every time these same people to govern them which brings complete government "cronyism".  If that is what you want........vote Democratic!  Enjoy your lives which will forever be changed!

Also remember this:  Taxing the rich to the "extreme" and above the norm of society will not help one bit and will only drive these people to other countries willing to accept their funds and assests.  It happens all the time in the world.  Where do rich rulers, despots and owners of totalitatian regimes go to now?  They do not stay in their own self created socialist society(s).

Posted twice, oops.

I do love my Social Security, as well as my Medicare; entitlements I am entitled to, since I paid into them for 40 years. Most seniors would agree with me. Conservatives don't want to conserve the environment, or our rights, or the middle class; rather they want to conserve corporate dominance of our economy and work force. I'm sorry this is your last statement tator, as a Millwright, you make a great poster boy for someone voting against his own best interest.

gypsy girl (SIC) - get a job. pay your own way. it is a shame to see such damaged goods but somebody has to buy those obama stickers.