By Elena Durnbaugh
Gongwer News Service
Controversial legislation regarding proof of citizenship to vote passed the House on Tuesday.
HB 4765 passed along party lines, 58-46. It would require Michigan voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Applicants could show proof of citizenship through an enhanced driver’s license, a birth certificate or other documents.
Under law, voting as a non-United States citizen in a federal or state election is a felony.
Rep. Jason Woolford, R-Howell, the sponsor of the bill, said the legislation was necessary to prevent non-citizens from voting.
“It shouldn’t be controversial, because, as I said, it’s not a red issue. It’s not a blue issue. It’s a red, white and blue issue,” he said. “80% of people want citizens to vote in our elections. … It’s why we’re great because citizens have skin in the game.”
Democrats argued Republicans were trying to create hoops for eligible voters to jump through because their policies are unpopular. One of the concerns Democrats have raised is that women or people who have legally changed their name would be required to purchase additional documents, such as a passport, to prove they are citizens.
“Michigan voters want us to be working on making it easier to pay their bills, not harder to vote,” Rep. Stephen Wooden, D-Grand Rapids, said. “We had some of the safest and most secure elections in the country, and that is because of the reforms put in place, both under Secretary (Joceyln) Benson, in the divided government that we had and under the democratic trifecta. We have safe and secure elections, and that is why the error rate is so astonishingly low. But yet again, Republicans want to sow down the integrity of our elections and place barriers to vote in front of legal citizens so they can make their voice heard.”
That’s not to say there aren’t improvements that could be made to Michigan’s election system, Wooden said. He advocated for legislation that would create addition checks of the qualified voter file, removing legacy voter files and taking measures to ensure candidates are being transparent and honest with voters about where they live.
HB 4720, which would prohibit Michigan from using any electronic voting system that includes any parts from any entity that has communications equipment or service on the list published by the Federal Communications Commission, also passed the House on Tuesday.
The FCC maintains a list on its website, known as the "Covered List," that includes any communications equipment or service the federal government has determined pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or to the safety and security of U.S. citizens.
It passed 63-41.
Rep. Jennifer Conlin, D-Ann Arbor; Rep. Denise Mentzer, D-Mt. Clemens; Rep. Phil Skaggs, D-East Grand Rapids; Rep. Angela Witwer, D-Delta Township; and Rep. Mai Xiong, D-Warren, voted with the Republican majority.
Finally, the House also passed HB 5688, which would amend the General Sales Tax Act to allow marketplace sellers to collect and remit the sales tax for qualified delivery network sales.
According to committee testimony, existing state regulation can result in cases of sales tax inadvertently being collected twice on sales through delivery network companies, such as Instacart or DoorDash, especially when the sale involves small businesses that can’t afford the software to address the issue. This bill is aimed at clarifying the current law to avoid such situations.
It passed 81-23.
Gongwer News Service
Controversial legislation regarding proof of citizenship to vote passed the House on Tuesday.
HB 4765 passed along party lines, 58-46. It would require Michigan voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Applicants could show proof of citizenship through an enhanced driver’s license, a birth certificate or other documents.
Under law, voting as a non-United States citizen in a federal or state election is a felony.
Rep. Jason Woolford, R-Howell, the sponsor of the bill, said the legislation was necessary to prevent non-citizens from voting.
“It shouldn’t be controversial, because, as I said, it’s not a red issue. It’s not a blue issue. It’s a red, white and blue issue,” he said. “80% of people want citizens to vote in our elections. … It’s why we’re great because citizens have skin in the game.”
Democrats argued Republicans were trying to create hoops for eligible voters to jump through because their policies are unpopular. One of the concerns Democrats have raised is that women or people who have legally changed their name would be required to purchase additional documents, such as a passport, to prove they are citizens.
“Michigan voters want us to be working on making it easier to pay their bills, not harder to vote,” Rep. Stephen Wooden, D-Grand Rapids, said. “We had some of the safest and most secure elections in the country, and that is because of the reforms put in place, both under Secretary (Joceyln) Benson, in the divided government that we had and under the democratic trifecta. We have safe and secure elections, and that is why the error rate is so astonishingly low. But yet again, Republicans want to sow down the integrity of our elections and place barriers to vote in front of legal citizens so they can make their voice heard.”
That’s not to say there aren’t improvements that could be made to Michigan’s election system, Wooden said. He advocated for legislation that would create addition checks of the qualified voter file, removing legacy voter files and taking measures to ensure candidates are being transparent and honest with voters about where they live.
HB 4720, which would prohibit Michigan from using any electronic voting system that includes any parts from any entity that has communications equipment or service on the list published by the Federal Communications Commission, also passed the House on Tuesday.
The FCC maintains a list on its website, known as the "Covered List," that includes any communications equipment or service the federal government has determined pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or to the safety and security of U.S. citizens.
It passed 63-41.
Rep. Jennifer Conlin, D-Ann Arbor; Rep. Denise Mentzer, D-Mt. Clemens; Rep. Phil Skaggs, D-East Grand Rapids; Rep. Angela Witwer, D-Delta Township; and Rep. Mai Xiong, D-Warren, voted with the Republican majority.
Finally, the House also passed HB 5688, which would amend the General Sales Tax Act to allow marketplace sellers to collect and remit the sales tax for qualified delivery network sales.
According to committee testimony, existing state regulation can result in cases of sales tax inadvertently being collected twice on sales through delivery network companies, such as Instacart or DoorDash, especially when the sale involves small businesses that can’t afford the software to address the issue. This bill is aimed at clarifying the current law to avoid such situations.
It passed 81-23.
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