What are Democrats’ and Republicans’ election priorities if they win control of Michigan state government?

“Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for Votebeat Michigan’s free newsletter here. It hasn’t been the most productive couple of years for election legislation in Michigan. Democrats in control of the state Senate have introduced bills that would amend rules for signature gathering and move up the state’s primary election from August to May. Over in the House, the Republican majority has proposed requiring people registering to vote to prove their citizenship , banning ranked choice voting , and preventing foreign nationals from spending money on ballot measure campaigns. Bills have occasionally been sent from one chamber to the other, but time and time again, they never again see the light of day. Only two election bills, both bipartisan efforts, have made it out of committee in a second chamber. None have been signed into law. That’s not a huge surprise given that different parties run the two chambers, particularly given how contentious election policy has become. But it does make the November election — in which Michigan voters will select a new governor as well as an entirely new legislature — that much more important. State House seats in Michigan are up every two years, while state Senate seats, like the governorship, are up every four. The potential that one party could win a trifecta — i.e., control of the Senate, House, and governorship — is enticing to legislators who want to see Michigan as the home base for their party’s election goals. Michigan Democrats last held a trifecta in 2024, while Republicans last had one in 2018. Unsurprisingly, though, the two parties have very different visions for the state’s elections if they take it all this fall. Democrats want to bolster voting rights, while Republicans want to improve security in the state’s elections. Here are some specific proposals that each party is focusing on. Democrats want to expand voting rights in Michigan Sen. Jeremy Moss, the Senate president pro tempore and a Democrat from Southfield, noted that Democrats in the state have already passed much of their elections agenda. Moss has been chair of the Senate Elections Committee since 2023, and in that time, he said Democrats have “achieved a lot.” “One of the biggest stories” out of the 2023-24 session, when Democrats held their first trifecta in nearly 40 years, “was how much we improved elections here in the state of Michigan,” said Moss, who is retiring from the legislature this year to seek a U.S. House seat. But there’s more work to be done, he said. If Democrats win the trifecta back, he expects to see the Michigan Voting Rights Act finally become law. The MVRA, which is made up of four bills, aims to fill in the gaps of the federal Voting Rights Act, which has been weakened by a series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions in recent years. It was introduced last session but ultimately failed to make it through the chaotic final month of the session. Senators introduced it again earlier this month. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for governor, has supported the MVRA and called for its passage late last month after the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais further eroded the federal version. That has left Democrats with what Sen. Darrin Camilleri, a Democrat from Trenton, called “an obligation to take action” during a hearing on the bills last week. “Whether you’re an independent or Republican or Democrat, these bills are good for you,” Camilleri said. “They protect your vote and your voice no matter who you support.” The bills, reintroduced this session as Senate Bills 961-964, passed out of committee last week in a 4-1 party-line vote, clearing the way for a vote by the full Senate. However, they are expected to languish in the Republican-controlled House. Michigan Republicans are focused on preventing noncitizen voting On the other hand, if Republicans win a trifecta, party leaders promise to focus on election security measures, especially a proof-of-citizenship requirement. Rep. Rachelle Smit, speaker pro tempore of the Michigan House and a Republican from Martin, held a press conference last week slamming Senate Democrats for failing to take up Republicans’ election bills, including her own proposal to ban foreign nationals from spending money on ballot measure campaigns in the state. She also criticized the MVRA, calling it “fear-mongering.” “The most important thing that we could be doing to preserve and protect our voting rights is pass Representative [Jason] Woolford’s bill, which would be requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote,” Smit said. Proof of citizenship has been a major priority for Republicans this session, beyond just Woolford’s bill. Rep. Bryan Posthumus, a Republican from Rockford, introduced a state constitutional amendment to require proof of citizenship when someone registers to vote, although that ultimately did not pass the House . It’s possible a proof-of-citizenship amendment will be directly on the ballot this fall, though, after a similar effort from Americans for Citizens Voting submitted more than 750,000 signatures to the Bureau of Elections earlier this year . “Proof of citizenship is a critical one,” Anthony Forlini, the Macomb County clerk and GOP candidate for secretary of state, told Votebeat when sharing his own list of what he would like to see happen if Republicans win big this fall. Secretary of state is not considered part of the trifecta, but if Forlini wins, he’ll be expected to work with the legislature to enact voting legislation. His wish list right now includes “accountability” in how absentee ballots are handled and improvements to the state’s campaign finance laws. “I’d like to see more transparency across the board as it revolves around election integrity,” he said, pointing to some of his own efforts in Macomb County to improve transparency. He suggested a stronger monitoring system for ballot drop boxes to verify who drops off ballots at them. State law already requires video monitoring, but Forlini said some videos have captured people dropping off a significant number of ballots, possibly in violation of the law (in Michigan, people can only return ballots on behalf of family or members of their household). Such a video came out in Hamtramck last summer, but Forlini said he was aware of videos in other communities as well, although he didn’t name them. “These are things that need to be looked at,” he said. “It’s not voter suppression. You’re suppressing votes by allowing these things to happen.” Hayley Harding is a reporter for Votebeat based in Michigan. Contact Hayley at hharding@votebeat.org .

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