State Rep. Ann Bollin of Brighton Township today issued the following statement after a panel of three Michigan Court of Appeals judges unanimously reversed the Court of Claims’ previous opinion in a case brought by Michigan Alliance for Retired Americans against Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, which would have allowed unchecked ballot harvesting the Friday before the election as well as the late collection and counting of ballots up to 14 days after the election:

“I applaud the Michigan Court of Appeals for respecting the Legislature’s role in making our elections law and taking action to ensure our laws will be followed for the November election.

“Our existing state laws have checks and balances and protections to ensure every eligible voter will be able to vote and that our elections are conducted with the highest level of integrity. Despite comments from a handful of people who want to politicize our tried and true election procedures, we should all have confidence that Michigan’s elections are safe and secure.  Local clerks have made adjustments to prepare for the expected increase in absentee ballots, and now it’s time to let our clerks and the herds of volunteers trained to conduct the election do their jobs.

“I will continue to monitor this case, and I will never stop fighting to make sure our election laws are followed and that every eligible voter can vote freely, secretly, independently, safely and securely.”