Legislation headed to governor for final consideration

State Rep. Ann Bollin, chair of the House Elections and Ethics Committee, today said five measures to improve the operation of elections in Michigan won final legislative approval.

Bollin, of Brighton Township, said the measures make common-sense changes that have broad, bipartisan support.

“I’m committed to strengthening our elections by making meaningful reforms that protect the vote, advance democracy and instill voter confidence in the elections,” Bollin said. “The changes we’ve put forward will help provide continuity and additional support for clerks to ensure future elections run more smoothly.”

The legislation approved today would:

• Prohibit third parties and other non-accredited election officials from accessing the state’s qualified voter file (QVF) (House Bill 4837).
• Allow county clerks to access the qualified voter file for the purpose of removing deceased people from the voter rolls and ensure information is transmitted in a timely manner (Senate Bill 277).
• Expand the types of buildings that can be used as polling locations (House Bill 4492).
• Prohibit voting machines and electronic pollbooks from being connected to the internet from the time polls open until votes from the precinct are tabulated (House Bill 4838).
• Require uniform training for poll challengers (House Bill 4528).

The measures now advance to the governor for final consideration.