Judge Won’t Put Immediate Stop to Mailing of Absentee Ballot Apps

There has been a lot of talk since the pandemic began, to allow everyone to vote by mail. Many think it’s a great idea, especially after seeing what the Wisconsin Supreme Court did earlier this year, forcing residents to go out and vote during the pandemic, and risk getting ill. And several election workers did get the virus. The big disagreement is that allowing everyone to vote by mail would cause voting fraud.

A Washington Post analysis of data collected by three vote-by-mail states with help

from the nonprofit Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) found that officials identified just 372 possible cases of double voting or voting on behalf of deceased people out of about 14.6 million votes cast by mail in the 2016 and 2018 general elections, or 0.0025 percent. People in America have been voting by mail for decades, all service members vote by mail, even our President votes by mail. Currently 33 states and the district of Columbia allow vote by mail with no excuse required. Six states and DC allow voters to request permanent absentee status, and 5 states conduct their elections completely by mail.

Michigan allows its voters to request a vote by mail absentee ballot. On May 19th during the pandemic, our Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced mailing of absentee ballot applications to all registered voters ahead of the August primary and November general elections. President Trump took issue with that saying it was illegal and that it would cause massive voter fraud. Our Secretary of State was then challenged in court. Detroit News reports Michigan Court of Claims judge Cynthia Stephens argued those rules don't reflect the loosened voting restrictions enacted under a voting rights initiative approved by voters in 2018. And those cases, Stephen said, only spoke to "local elections officials," not the secretary of state. There is some support for the notion that she possesses superior authority as compared to local election officials," wrote Stephens, an appointee of Democratic former Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

We are legally allowed to vote by mail in Michigan and 32 other states. The jury is still out on the remaining 17 states.