Title
Resolution in Support of Senate Bill 757
Body
Whereas, since the passage of Proposal 18-3 in 2018 that authorized no-reason absentee voting, election officials have been predicting that Michigan Election Law would need to be revised to allow more time for absent voter counting boards (AVCB) to process the expected increase in absentee ballots; and
Whereas, Senate Bill 757 which was introduced by State Senator Ruth Johnson and passed by the Michigan Senate Elections Committee in February, 2020, would allow pre-processing of absentee ballots by the AVCB on the Monday prior to Election Day, during the hours of 10 AM to 8 PM, would not allow voted ballots to be removed from the secrecy sleeves on Monday, and would allow tabulating to begin at 7:00 AM on Election Day; and
Whereas, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a shift in voting habits of Rochester Hills voters from 40% absentee voting during the August 2018 election to 74% in the August, 2020 election; and
Whereas, Michigan Election Law currently allows the processing of absentee ballots to begin at 7 AM on Election Day, and to continue through Election Day until all ballots are processed; and
Whereas, the Rochester Hills City Clerk’s Office currently has more than 25,000 absentee ballot applications on file for the November 3 General Election, with a total number of ballots expecting to reach 30,000, the highest number of absentee ballots ever issued in Rochester Hills’s history; and
Whereas, processing this many absentee ballots will take two days, meaning under current Election Law, the Election Inspectors and Clerk’s Office staff will have to work through the night on November 3 and well into November 4 in order to complete the processing of the expected 30,000 absentee ballots; and
Whereas, Senate Bill 757 continues to be discussed by the Michigan Legislature, and has received bipartisan support from legislators, from the Michigan Secretary of State, and from Clerks and Election Officials t...
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