https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/11/06/michigan-voting-proposal-3-results/1885266002/
A proposal to bring same-day voter registration, no-reason absentee voting and more sweeping changes to Michigan's election law was approved by voters Tuesday by a better than two-to-one margin.
With 99 percent of the vote counted, the tally was 2,724,234 yes to 1,353,653 no, a margin of 66.8 percent to 33.2 percent.
The Promote the Vote question — Proposal 3 on the ballot — brings Michigan in line with at least 17 other states when it comes to same-day voter registration. They include Idaho, Colorado and Wisconsin.
The proposal was largely funded by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Michigan and endorsed by many officials and organizations across the state, including Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, the League of Women Voters and the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Supporters of the proposal say it will prevent fraud through a mandatory auditing process and also make it easier for working parents and other voters with time constraints,to vote.
Read more:
Proposal 3 in Michigan: How it would change the way you vote
Critics have argued that the proposition may increase voter fraud, though opposition has been small.
Here's what the proposal does:
- Protects the right to vote a secret ballot
- Ensures military service members and overseas voters can obtain ballots
- Provides Michigan residents with the option to vote straight party
- Automatically registers citizens to vote at the Secretary of State’s Office unless the citizen declines
- Allows a citizen to register to vote anytime with proof of residency
- Provides all registered voters access to an absentee ballot for any reason
- Ensures the accuracy and integrity of elections by auditing election results
Many states already allow voters to register up to and on Election Day at the polls, as long as they have a photo ID and some form of proof of residency. Idaho's law went into effect in 1994.
And at least 37 other states and Washington, D.C., allow voters to obtain absentee ballots with no given reason. But Michigan currently requires a voter under 60 to choose from at least six reasons as to why they need to vote absentee.
Proposal 3 gives voters the ability to register to vote by mail on or before the 15th day before an election. It also allows voters to register with proof of residency up to and on Election Day. It would also restore straight-ticket voting.
The Republican-led Legislature voted to end Michigan's 127-year practice of straight party-ticket voting in 2015 and in early September, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in the dispute over whether to revive it.
But Proposal 3 would bring it back, giving voters the ability to just check one box on a ballot to cast a vote for one party, across all positions.