Latest news with #MichiganVoting
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Report: Voter confidence in election systems high, but more education needed
Getty Images Voters in Michigan had a high opinion of the 2024 election being accurate, fair and secure, both before and after the election took place, and appear to have the same confidence in the upcoming 2026 election, according to a new poll that was hailed Thursday by a partisan group. Poll findings released this week from Glengarrif Group showed that eight in 10 voters – from a sample size of 800 registered voters with a margin of error of 3.5% – felt that the upcoming election to select the three top heads of state; governor, attorney general and secretary of state, would be equally secure and fair. The results of the poll, which was conducted during the first week of June, were released in conjunction with an event on Thursday at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids. The panel featured members of the Democracy Defense Project, including two former Michigan governors, a former congressman and others. Glengarrif Group noted that nearly 76% of Michigan voters said the November 2024 election was fair, and that 88% of voters said they trusted their local elections, which is a 10-percentage point increase from those who answered a related poll in October 2024. That said, nearly 57% of voters who engaged with the poll said they were at least somewhat concerned about noncitizens voting in state elections, with nearly 36% also saying they were very concerned about that issue. Only 21% of respondents, however, said voters should show an ID to vote, which is already required by Michigan law, and a slim 7.7% said voters should show proof of citizenship. That polling on some voters' feelings on citizenship as a prerequisite to vote serves as a counterpoint to Michigan Republican efforts to get a constitutional amendment requiring proof of citizenship in order to cast a ballot. The lead sponsor of that movement is state Rep. Bryan Posthumus (R-Rockford), who told Michigan Advance in late May that he believed 85% of the state's population agreed that only U.S. citizens should vote in statewide and national elections. That said, Posthumus' aim was to put that question before the voters in 2026, giving the voting populace a chance to say whether they believed only U.S. citizens should vote in Michigan's elections. It is still an open question if a large enough group of Michigan voters want to make that a constitutional requirement. At Thursday's forum to announce the poll findings, former Democratic Michigan Gov. Jim Blanchard said the state's residents should be proud of the professionalism of local election workers, regardless of the political outcome. 'As with any election, people will have strong feelings about the outcome and the winners,' Blanchard said. 'One thing our poll clearly shows is that despite those feelings, Michigan voters are confident in our election system, especially the work of our local and county-level officials and the many hardworking volunteers who provide support at precincts in communities across Michigan.' Former Republican Michigan Gov. John Engler also said that the state's voters appear overwhelmingly satisfied with existing election processes. Engler went on to say that more education was needed to bring them up to speed on what measures are already in place to ensure secure and safe elections. 'In the past few years, we have seen clerks from both parties actively engaging voters from all backgrounds in their communities – Republicans, Democrats and independents,' Engler said. 'At the same time, local media outlets have covered these events and supported civic public education that benefits all of us, and we encourage them to build on these efforts.' Engler's comments come at a time when some Republican state lawmakers remain committed to pushing the falsehood that the 2020 and 2022 elections were unfair and are working to relitigate the outcome of those elections despite recent polls like the Glengarrif offering and other assurances through the years. Former Lt. Gov. John Cherry, a Democrat, said the Glengarrif poll was striking because it was the first time polling has been done where a majority of voters from all backgrounds said they were satisfied with the 2024 results and looked confidently ahead to 2026 – all while acknowledging that existing safeguards were working. 'Where voters say they want to see changes, that list is very narrow,' Cherry said. 'We believe that by working together, in a bipartisan way, Michigan policymakers can find reasonable, commonsense and cost-effective ways to address voters' concerns.' Former Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop of Rochester said the poll was evidence that voters of all political leanings wanted to be in the driver's seat for local, state and national elections, and not politicians in Lansing. That said, Bishop did say he believed that the proof of citizenship responses in an open-ended portion of the poll shows there is an appetite to move that measure across the finish line. 'Voters also have a real desire to ensure only U.S. citizens vote in our elections, and we encourage policymakers to explore solutions that keep our elections secure without putting up barriers that may prevent any eligible voter from exercising their right to vote,' Bishop said. Board members of the Democracy Defense Project proposed a solution to that conundrum: expand and support voter access to Michigan Enhanced IDs and driver's licenses. Both forms of enhanced identification indicate if someone is a U.S. citizen and are compliant with new federal requirements for REAL ID, which allow access to federal buildings, boarding planes and traveling domestically by air and other activities. In late May, the Michigan Department of State said it had issued 200,000 REAL IDs in the last few months. A REAL ID differs from Enhanced ID in that it does not indicate U.S. citizenship, so a pathway to getting the latter could ease citizenship and voting concerns.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Board approves Ranked Choice Voting summary that residents will see on petitions
The Brief A new form of voting for elected officials may be presented as a ballot proposal in Michigan in 2026. On Friday, the state canvassing board gave its blessing to the petition language that citizens can sign if they want to see it on the ballot next year. Instead of a single election where the candidate with the most votes wins, ranked choice voting allows people to rank their favorite candidates. (FOX 2) - The Michigan Board of State Canvassers approved the language that petitioners pushing to change the state's voting processes would show to residents as they gather signatures for a potential future proposal. Ranked Choice Voting is not how Michigan currently elects its officials. But residents may get the opportunity to approve implementing it in the 2026 midterms. Big picture view The board that approves language that campaigns can use when gathering signatures for ballot proposals gave the green light to the group that wants to change how Michigan elects candidates for office. On Friday, the Michigan Board of State Canvassers approved the summary that Rank MI Vote can show residents when it gathers signatures in hopes of putting the issue before voters. The effort is still in its early planning stages. But if the group gets enough people to sign onto their petitions, it would appear as a ballot proposal during the 2026 midterms. If a majority of voters approve the proposal, it would change Michigan's constitution. Instead of the candidate with the most votes winning an election during one round of voting, voters would rank their favorite candidates. The backstory Voters have the opportunity to rewrite the Michigan constitution using ballot proposals. But the journey a proposed constitutional amendment takes before appearing on a ballot is a lengthy one. It starts with a citizen-led petition drive. When a group wants to change something about the state constitution, they bring it to the canvassing board, which works to summarize the proposed change in 100 words or less. After approving the summary, the group must obtain enough signatures from voters before they can get it to appear on the official election ballot. Only then can citizens vote for or against the constitutional change. Dig deeper On Friday, the canvassing board approved summary language that Rank MI Vote will take to voters as it seeks to obtain enough signatures. The election method allows voters to rank their favorite candidates in a race. If a candidate receives more than half of the first choices, they win the race. If no candidate wins the most first-choice votes, then the lowest-ranked candidates will be eliminated, and their voter's choices will be reallocated to their second choice. The proposal would also move up the summer primary earlier in the year to allow for enough time. Below is the summary language approved by the canvassing board: Require Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for federal offices, governor/lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state, allowing voters to numerically rank candidates by voter preference starting in 2029, count votes in rounds, eliminating lowest-ranked candidate, and reallocating their votes to remaining ranked candidates until candidate with most final round votes is declared the winner, allow voters to rank at least four more candidates than positions to be nominated/elected, unless insufficient number of candidates, authorize local jurisdiction to adopt use of RCV in local elections, move August primary to June or earlier in even-year elections. Require legislative funding and implementing legislation. The Source The Michigan Board of State Canvassers meeting on Friday was used while reporting this story.
