Gov. Whitmer Vetoes Restrictive Michigan Voting Bills—Here’s How The GOP Could Still Pass Voter ID Rules Anyway

Topline

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed three voting bills Friday that would have imposed new restrictions in the battleground state—but Republicans may still be able to get around her veto through a loophole in state law that would let them pass restrictions the Democratic governor can’t block.

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

“Voting restrictions that produce such a racially disparate impact must never become law in this state,” Whitmer wrote in her veto letter.

What To Watch For

Republicans are now in the process of garnering the signatures needed to get the voting restrictions back before the legislature and evade Whitmer’s veto, after the Board of State Canvassers approved the effort in September. 

Key Background

Michigan was a key battleground state in the 2020 election and President Joe Biden won the state with only 50.62% of the vote. The restrictive voting bills are part of a broader effort by GOP state lawmakers to pass such legislation in the name of “election integrity,” after former President Donald Trump and his allies baselessly alleged widespread fraud in the 2020 race. The Brennan Center for Justice found 19 states have passed 33 laws this year as of September 27 that impose limits on voting. An investigation from Michigan’s Republican-led Senate Oversight Committee completed in June “no evidence of widespread or systematic fraud” in the state’s election, and pro-Trump attorneys who alleged fraud in a post-election lawsuit were sanctioned for pushing false allegations based on “speculation, conjecture, and unwarranted suspicion.”

Tangent

Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania are also moving forward with plans to pass voting restrictions like voter ID provisions via ballot measure, in order to get around Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and his veto.

Further Reading

Whitmer vetoes election bills aimed at overhauling voter ID rules (Detroit Free Press)

Petition to overhaul voter ID laws receives state board approval to collect signatures (Detroit Free Press)

Michigan GOP approves election reforms. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s veto is next. (Bridge MI)

What to know about Secure MI Vote initiative: security or suppression? (Bridge MI)