GOP launches ballot drive to tighten Michigan voting laws

By DAVID EGGERT
Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Republicans are launching a ballot drive to tighten Michigan’s voting and election laws, backing a maneuver that would let GOP lawmakers enact the changes without Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s signature. Monday’s step, which had been signaled for months, was welcomed by Republicans and decried by Democrats and voting-rights advocates. It came after the Democratic governor vowed to veto similar bills pending in the GOP-controlled Legislature. Secure MI Vote will need to collect roughly 340,000 valid voter signatures within six months of starting to circulate petitions. The initiative would require voters to submit photo identification and add an ID component to absentee ballot applications.