MICHIGAN BUREAU OF ELECTIONS

In a letter this week, the head of the Michigan Bureau of Elections used his strongest language yet, telling the attorney for the group behind recount efforts across the state that recent disruptions will not be tolerated.

The Michigan Supreme Court announced Thursday that the abortion rights ballot proposal that acquired and submitted more than 700,000 signatures will appear before voters in November, a decision made after a state board declined to certify the proposal.

The State Board of Canvassers deadlocked along party lines, meaning the abortion rights proposal and an overhaul of voting rights will go to the Michigan Supreme Court; The ballot needs to be finalized by Sept. 9, so we’re looking at a week to get a decision from the court.

The Michigan Bureau of Elections has recommended approval of a ballot initiative that seeks to enshrine abortion rights into the state’s constitution after a review of the campaign's petition signatures.

The ballot initiative to codify reproductive rights in Michigan is one step closer to being certified for the November election.

LANSING, MI – In 2018, nearly 7 in 10 Michiganders voted to enshrine in the state constitution no-excuse absentee voting, automatic voter registration and other policies to expand ballot access. Promote the Vote 2022 would mandate nine days of early in-person voting (Michigan currently has none) and prohibit harassment while voting, among other measures. Read more: More than 753,000 signatures submitted to support Reproductive Freedom For All ballot proposalInitiative leaders said they submitted after a verification process that included pre-screening and checking for duplicate signatures. Two other voting rights petitions – both from MI Right to Vote – will not make Monday’s 5 p.m. deadline for petition signatures. One proposal would make changes to the ballot initiative process, while the other would codify the right to vote, expand absentee voting access and generally limit burdens on voting.

FLINT, MI -- The Genesee County Election Commission on Friday, June 24, approved the Aug. 2 primary ballot despite not yet hearing back from each candidate listed on the ballot upon recommendation from the Michigan Bureau of Elections. The election commission met on Thursday, June 23, to delay the approval of the ballot after the Genesee County Clerk’s Office spoke of multiple delays that have hindered the ballot approval process. Since then, each municipality has approved the ballot and the Genesee County Clerk’s Office is only waiting for confirmation from each candidate. As Prosecutor David Leyton first said during Thursday’s election commission meeting, Brater warned that any missed deadlines or delays in the ballot distribution process can open up the possibility of election challenge litigation. “The more important issue at this point is that voters need to get ballots,” Brater said at Friday’s election commission meeting.

Former Michigan Congressman Thaddeus McCotter has been on the wrong end of this kind of trouble. He spoke exclusively to Local 4 about the current situation.

LANSING, MI – A ballot drive to tighten Michigan voting laws and require voter IDs will not end up on the November ballot, petition leaders announced Wednesday. Instead, circulators will aim for action by the state legislature after finding thousands of fraudulent signatures among its stacks of petitions. In May, the Bureau found so many fraudulent signatures in petitions from five Republican gubernatorial candidates that they were booted from the November ballot. As Secure MI Vote delays, Michigan’s leading voting rights organization – Voters Not Politicians – called Wednesday a good day for the voters of the state. Other petitions going the legislative route like Secure MI Vote include efforts for private school tax credits and to limit state government health emergency powers.

Former Michigan Congressman Thaddeus McCotter has been on the wrong end of this kind of trouble. He spoke exclusively to Local 4 about the current situation.

The state’s election bureau has said five Republican candidates for Michigan governor, including two top contenders, should not qualify for the August

The Michigan Bureau of Elections has made grant money available for election-related security needs; and Frenchtown Township will follow up.

The Michigan Bureau of Elections says five GOP candidates for governor are ineligible for the August ballot, including former Detroit Police Chief James Craig and Quality Guru Perry Johnson.

The Michigan Bureau of Election said it found an unprecedented number of fraud

Five of the 10 Republican candidates for governor don’t have enough valid signatures to make the ballot, according to a report from the Michigan Bureau of Elections after a thorough review. The five candidates without enough valid signatures are James Craig, Perry Johnson, Michael Brown, Michael Markey Jr. and Donna Brandenburg. The Michigan Board of State Canvassers will vote Thursday, May 26, to determine which candidates have enough valid signatures. Governor candidates need at least 15,000 signatures, and 100 from each congressional district, to qualify for the primary ballot. RELATED STORIESDeVos family endorses GOP governor candidate Tudor Dixon5 takeaways from Republican candidates for governor in first 2022 debateMichigan governor candidates ‘can’t read Trump’s mind,’ but many think he will endorse themGOP governor candidate boycotts debate, cites ‘extremist’ COVID policy

GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- County Clerk-Register John Gleason has been told to stay out of any election-related activities by the Michigan Bureau of Elections. County Elections Supervisor Kathy Funk is currently on unpaid leave from her job because of criminal ballot-tapering charges that she is facing. The criminal charges against Gleason and Funk are unrelated. It comes eight days after the county Board of Commissioners wrote to state elections officials for a second time in two months, asking for assistance with coming elections. Read more:Genesee County renews plea for election help from stateGenesee County Clerk-Register John Gleason facing witness intimidation, neglect of duty chargesGenesee County elections supervisor facing ballot tampering, misconduct charges

The Michigan Bureau of Elections did a sufficient job overall in maintaining the integrity of the voter database, conducting post-election audits and training local clerks — with some exceptions — state auditors said Friday while...

The Michigan Board of State Canvassers plans to meet Monday to determine the fate of a petition-driven initiative to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people in...

Former Michigan Sen. Patrick Colbeck is calling for “Decision Day” in Antrim County, the small northern county where the categorically false claim of voting machines being rigged was developed.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State House, Senate and Capitol buildings will be closed Monday as the Electoral College meets. RELATED: What’s in store when the Electoral College meets“The decision was not made because of anticipated protests, but was made based on credible threats of violence,” McCann said. That decision is made by the Capitol Commission.”Electors will be given police escorts Monday and one said she’s taking things further and will be wearing a bullet-proof vest. You can watch the Electoral College meeting here. Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani has targeted Detroit in recent weeks, despite there being no evidence of fraud in the city.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State House, Senate and Capitol buildings will be closed Monday as the Electoral College meets. According to Rep. Darrin Camilleri, the entire legislature will be working remotely due to safety concerns during the Electoral College vote. RELATED: What’s in store when the Electoral College meetsCamilleri said he was not briefed on the potential threats, but said when the offices have closed in the past, it was due to threats. You can watch the Electoral College meeting here. I call on the House Republicans who joined the recent court case to publicly apologize, renounce their actions and respect the will of the voters.

The Michigan Bureau of Elections has released preliminary plans for what it is calling “the most comprehensive post-election audits of any election in state history.”The audits will include a statewide risk-limiting audit, a complete zero-margin risk-limiting audit in Antrim County, and procedural audits in more than 200 jurisdictions statewide, including absentee ballot counting boards, according to the Bureau. Related: Few Michigan absentee ballots rejected amid record voter turnout in 2020 election“I am a longstanding proponent of post-election audits to review election procedure and affirm public confidence in our elections,” said Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in a news release Wednesday. “By conducting the most comprehensive set of audits in our state’s history, the Bureau of Elections and Michigan’s more than 1,600 local election clerks are demonstrating the integrity of our election.”The Bureau published the following list of precincts and absentee ballot counting boards that it says will undergo procedural audits conducted by either counties or the state:View here: Michigan 2020 General Election resultsRead: Fact-checking 5 claims about mail-in votingRead: Trump’s legal team cried vote fraud, but courts found none

(CBS DETROIT) – The Michigan Bureau of Elections released preliminary plans for the most comprehensive post-election audits of any election in state history, including a statewide risk-limiting audit, a complete zero-margin risk-limiting audit in Antrim County, and procedural audits in more than 200 jurisdictions statewide, including absentee ballot counting boards. “I am a longstanding proponent of post-election audits to review election procedure and affirm public confidence in our elections,” said Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. “By conducting the most comprehensive set of audits in our state’s history, the Bureau of Elections and Michigan’s more than 1,600 local election clerks are demonstrating the integrity of our election.”To confirm the accuracy of ballot tabulation machines, the Bureau and clerks will conduct a long-planned statewide risk-limiting audit of the presidential election. A pilot statewide risk-limiting audit demonstrated the accuracy of the machines after the March 10, 2020 presidential primary. Additionally, a zero-margin risk-limiting audit of the presidential election will be conducted by the Bureau and county officials in Antrim County in December.

Members of the GOP-led House and Senate oversight committees met Saturday and authorized a subpoena to the Michigan Bureau of Elections for information and communications related to the 2020 primary and general elections. The hearing was held in the wake of President Trump and his supporters claiming there were voting irregularities in Michigan. Nevertheless, Trump supporters gathered outside the state Capitol on Saturday to demand investigations into the election process. “I look forward to reviewing our election processes across Michigan through the joint efforts of these two committees so we can build a system that people can depend on,” Hall said. Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, said the future of the U.S. depends on the legitimacy of the election process.

LAPEER COUNTY, MI – An investigation is underway by police after a newly installed ballot box was damaged outside of a township hall in northwest Lapeer County. The Lapeer County Sheriff’s Office is looking into who may be responsible for damaging the box earlier this month outside the Marathon Township Hall, 4575 Pine St., in Columbiaville. A resident near the township hall told police they were outside around 1:30 a.m. Oct. 2 and did not recall seeing any damage at the time. “It’s made out of metal,” he said of the ballot box. A slot remains on the front door of the township hall where residents can drop off their ballots.

LANSING, Mich. The Michigan Bureau of Elections has launched an accessible absent voter ballot application that can be used to apply for an accessible electronic absent voter ballot for the August Election. Blind voters and others with severe disabilities that prevent them from voting absent voter ballots privately and independently can mark the documents on an electronic device, using their own assistive technology, without visiting a polling place or clerks office. Voters with disabilities can also visit their local clerks office to request an absent voter ballot in person. Those options include absentee by mail, absentee at a ballot dropbox, in-person absentee at their local clerks office or satellite office, or at a polling location on election day. Blind voters can locate the accessible application to vote absentee at Michigan.gov/Vote by clicking the link to download an application or the submenu for absentee voting.