Michigan voters have approved Proposal 3, which enacts sweeping election reforms.
With about 46 precincts reporting, 67 percent of voters approved Proposal 3, also known as "Promote the Vote."
The new law:
- Automatically registers people to vote when they obtain or renew their driver's license or state identification card, as long as they are a U.S. citizen and age 18 or older. Currently, Michigan residents must request and fill out separate paperwork for voter registration.
- Allows people to register to vote and cast a ballot on the same day, including on Election Day. The current registration deadline is 30 days before the election.
- Allows voters to obtain an absentee ballot without providing a reason. Absentee balloting is currently limited to people who are age 60 and older, disabled, poll workers or who sign an affidavit saying they will be out of town on Election Day.
- Reinstates the option of a straight-ticket vote for all candidates of a particular political party by marking one spot on the ballot. The Republican-controlled Legislature passed a law ending that practice, and this November election will be the first time that option is not allowed.
Proposal 3 also allows voters to seek an audit of statewide elections.
In addition, it will add the current legal requirements for secret ballots and military and overseas voting to the Michigan constitution. Currently, the right to a secret ballot and the military/oversees voting timetables are part of Michigan election law but are not in the constitution.
The petition campaign to put Proposal 3 on the ballot was largely funded by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The initiative also was backed by the League of Women Voters of Michigan, the Detroit chapter of the NAACP and the Michigan League for Public Policy.
The newly elected Democratic governor and secretary of state, Gretchen Whitmer and Jocelyn Benson, backed Proposal 3, while the Republican candidates for those offices, Bill Schuette and Mary Treder Lang, were opposed.
Republicans were particularly critical of the potential reinstatement of straight-ticket voting and same-day registration and voting.