VOTING RIGHTS

In this segment of our History 4 All special, we’re discussing the modern day effort to restrict voting rights following the 2020 presidential election.

The fight over voting rights and voting rules reveals yet another massive American divide.

Watch Flashpoint every Sunday at 10 a.m. on Local 4 News.

Watch live coverage as President Biden and Vice President Harris deliver remarks on their efforts to pass legislation to protect the constitutional right to vote and the integrity of our elections.

Stacey Abrams has been busy increasing civic engagement and social justice and voting rights activism all across the United States.

President Joe Biden is delivering remarks on voting rights Tuesday afternoon at a contentious time in the U.S. when legislators in several states are pushing for stricter voting laws that would limit voter access.

After postponing her trip at the end of the last month, Vice President Kamala Harris spent the day in Detroit on Monday, talking about voting rights and the push to get more Michiganders vaccinated, especially Detroiters.

Democratic lawmakers said the For the People Act is needed to fight a wave of restrictive election reforms. Critics of the bill said voting rules should be handled on a state level, not federal.

A restrictive voting bill in Texas that was on the verge of reaching Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk failed to pass Sunday night after Democrats walked out of the House chamber before a midnight deadline.

“We are witnessing state legislators acting as if their anti-American effort to take away citizens freedom to vote is somehow the right thing to do,” said Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.

On the first day of Michigan Legislature’s return to session Tuesday, the steps of the state Capitol were flooded with people saying to stand up for voting rights.

The United States House passed the For the People Act, which could become the biggest expansion to federal voting rights since the 1960s. The For the People Act is a bill that aims to change who can participate in elections, campaign finance and ethics laws in addition to protecting and expanding voting rights. “HR-1 is extremely important because it’s about returning the power back to the American people,” U.S. House Rep. Brenda Lawrence (MI-14) said of the bill. READ: House passes sweeping voting rights bill over GOP oppositionREAD: Supreme Court could put new limits on voting rights lawsuitsAdThe U.S. House voted in favor to pass the bill with bipartisan support. However, Rep. Bill Huizenga, of Michigan’s 2nd congressional district, disagrees and voted against the bill.

The exhibit showcases a timeline of the right and the fight to vote, spanning centuries. RELATED: Housing discrimination in Detroit: An example of systemic racism“It is an inter generational activity,” said museum educator Yolanda Jack. The exhibit ends with the fight over the electoral college, gerrymandering and voter suppression still happening today. “I do think that there are people who are trying to make sure there are some people in the world who can’t vote,” Jack said. Voting Matters runs through the spring.

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. A Michigan Supreme Court Justice tried to get his absentee ballot in Birmingham this week and get assistance filling it out, but things didnt go smoothly. Justice Richard Bernstein is the first blind justice, elected by voters statewide, to the Michigan Supreme Court. Bernstein was elected to the Michigan Supreme Court in November 2014. Bernstein was turned away because workers in the clerks office didnt know how to get him his absentee ballot. READ: Michigan Department of State launches online absentee voter applicationYou go online today and there is no choice to get an absentee ballot, attorney Jason Turkish said.

DETROIT As the state works to get every registered voter an absentee ballot application, concerns and claims have been swirling around the conversation of vote-by-mail. There's no evidence that voter fraud happens in incidents of allowing citizens to vote by mail, which they have a right to do in the state of Michigan, Sec. In states like CO, WA, OR and Utah which have moved to almost entirely vote by mail, absentee fraud has been extremely rare. In Michigan, there have only been 5 convictions for absentee ballot fraud since 2007, according to the Conservative leaning Heritage Foundation. An increase in absentee votes will drastically alter how ballots are normally counted, likely taking more time and manpower.

LANSING, Mich. The League of Women Voters (LMV) of Michigan filed a lawsuit against the Michigan Secretary of State on May 22 regarding absentee voting rights ahead of upcoming elections. Proposal 3, also known as the Voting Policies in State Constitution Initiative, was approved in 2018 and added no-excuse absentee voting to the Michigan Constitution. While its clear that absentee voting is a priority for Michigans Secretary of State, the LMV claims that Michigan voters are still facing unconstitutional barriers to absentee voting that need to be addressed ahead of the upcoming elections. Michigans LMV is also requesting that the state pays for postage for absentee voters and process ballot applications within a 24-hour time slot. Benson is actually sending absentee ballot applications to registered Michigan voters who can choose if theyd like to vote by mail in August and November.