MI: Senate committee OKs bill to create online tracking system for absentee voting
The Michigan Senate Elections Committee this week approved bills that would seek to streamline the absentee voting process by creating an online tracking system for applications and the ballots themselves.
SB 339, sponsored by Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D- Royal Oak), would allow voters to track their absentee ballot at every step of the process, from registration to dropbox. It was approved in committee on Wednesday.
A counterpart bill, HB 4594, in the House Elections Committee has yet to be approved, but contains the same content. The sponsor, Rep. Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City), testified in its support in a Wednesday hearing.
Wegela said that implementing an absentee ballot tracking system would fulfill the provisions of Proposal 2, the constitutional amendment Michigan voters approved in 2022 expanding voting rights.
“House Bill 4594 directs the Secretary of State to not only enhance the tracking system for absentee applications and ballots, but to permit voters to track and receive notifications about the status of their applications and balance,” Wegela said.
https://michiganadvance.com/2023/05/26/senate-committee-oks-bill-to-create-online-tracking-system-for-absentee-voting/