Michigan Republicans propose slew of election changes

LANSING (AP) - Michigan Republicans on Wednesday proposed a slew of election bills that would require voters to submit a photo ID, prohibit the unsolicited mass mailing of absentee ballot applications, and restrict the hours in which people could drop their ballot in curbside boxes.

Outraged Democrats said the legislation is racist and would suppress voting, months after some GOP lawmakers falsely claimed the presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump despite his 154,000-vote, or 2.8-percentage point, loss to Joe Biden in the battleground state.

Several measures appear destined to be vetoed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer if they reach her desk, while others may find bipartisan support.

Republican senators, citing a surge in absentee voting in 2020, said changes are needed to ensure election integrity.

The 39-bill package would let 16- and 17-year-olds preregister to vote, create an "early voting" day 10 days before Election Day, require training of partisan election challengers, and mandate video monitoring of all ballot drop boxes.

The proposed ID requirement and other provisions are sure to be fiercely opposed. Michigan now lets people without ID sign an affidavit and vote.

Under the legislation, they would instead be given a provisional ballot and have to verify their identity with the local clerk within six days.

Voters applying for an absentee ballot - an increasingly popular option under a 2018 constitutional amendment and during the coronavirus pandemic - also would have to attach a copy of their ID.

Drop boxes would have to be locked at 5 p.m. the day before an election, 27 hours earlier than normal. After that, absentee voters would have to turn in their ballots directly to the clerk's office.

More than 5.5 million people voted in Michigan's presidential election - the most ever and the highest percentage of voting-age residents to cast a ballot in 60 years.