Bumstead seeks public comment on secretary of state’s proposed election rules

Bumstead seeks public comment on secretary of state’s proposed election rules

LANSING, Mich. – State Sen. Jon Bumstead on Thursday announced the launch of a new webpage that allows residents in the 34th Senate District to let Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson know what they think about her proposed rules that would weaken the state’s election system.

“We know Michigan’s election system is vulnerable and in need of fixing,” said Bumstead, R-Newago. “The proposed rules that Secretary Benson is pushing would compound these vulnerabilities while making our elections less secure and the results less trustworthy. Thankfully, the public has a say, but the opportunity to do so is short. I invite all concerned citizens to visit my new webpage and tell Secretary Benson that her new election rules are wrong for Michigan.”

Currently, local clerks are responsible for issuing absentee ballots to voters. But under the new proposed rules, Benson would create an electronic portal centralized in the hands of Lansing bureaucrats, taking away control from local officials. The proposed rules could unnecessarily weaken the security of the election process by forcing sensitive voter information to be transmitted over the internet.

Additionally, Benson’s rules would require clerks to presume an absentee voter’s signature is valid instead of enabling local clerks to verify voters’ identity by matching their signatures on absentee ballots.

Residents can visit www.MISenateGOP.com/ProtectMIElections/ to provide feedback that will be sent directly to the Department of State on their behalf as a public comment.

The deadline for public comment on Benson’s proposed rules is Oct. 1.

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