House Republican Leader Matt Hall on Wednesday blasted House Democrats’ attempt to ignore the will of Michigan voters and weaken election security.

Instead of simply implementing new constitutional requirements approved by Michigan voters, Democrats are expected to pass legislation Wednesday afternoon that would compromise election security, weaken signature verification, accept ballots after the election, and create unequal access to early voting for different Michigan communities.

“Democrats are eliminating common-sense election integrity measures and denying Michigan voters the secure elections they deserve,” said Hall, R-Richland Township. “These extreme Democrat bills will weaken fundamental security mechanisms — such as drop box monitoring and signature verification — and allow unfair treatment of different Michigan voters. Local clerks have raised concerns about the chaos these changes will create. This uncalled-for overhaul will undermine our elections and create new risks for fraud.”

House Bills 4695-4702 would undermine election integrity in Michigan through:

• Unequal voting access: The Democrat bills would authorize state and local officials to send unsolicited absentee applications to the voters of their choice — enabling partisan actors to prioritize their own supporters. The bills would also let clerks unequally extend early voting beyond the nine days required under the Constitution — creating further disparities in voting access.
• Weakened election security: The Democrat plan would repeal a bipartisan law that requires security camera monitoring of absentee ballot drop boxes. The bills would also decrease signature verification standards and make it more difficult to reject fraudulent ballots.
• Post-election voting: The bills would allow people to register to vote and cast a ballot even after polls close on election day. The proposal comes on top of a law passed earlier this year to count overseas ballots received after election day even without a postmark verifying that the ballot was submitted on time.