Facts about the Bureau of Elections Proposed Elections Rules

The three rules that the Bureau of Elections is seeking to promulgate are largely current practice and in some cases have been in effect for many years under both Republican and Democratic secretaries of state.

Making these practices formal rules will strengthen the integrity and security of Michigan elections.

The 2020 election was the most secure in our state’s history, and more than 250 audits and multiple courts have affirmed the integrity of the election and that the results accurately reflect the will of the voters.

Rule 1 – Online absentee ballot application

It is current practice to provide an online absentee ballot application option, in alignment with the right to vote absentee enshrined in our state constitution by an overwhelming majority of voters in 2018.

The system is secure, allowing the use of a digital signature only if the voter provides their name, complete driver’s license or state ID number, full date of birth, last four digits of their social security number, and eye color.

If the application is submitted and accepted, once voters receive their ballot the voters must still provide a manual and matching signature on their ballot envelope for their vote to be counted. (The only exception is blind voters and others with severe disabilities.)

Rule 2 – Signature matching standards

The signature matching standards outlined in the rule are already in effect. Formalizing them as rules strengthens the integrity and security of our elections.

The standards support every voter’s right to have their ballot counted while ensuring signatures
are reviewed in a uniform way.

These standards have already resulted in the rejection of many non-matching signatures.

Rule 3 – Candidate affidavit

The affidavit requirements in this rule are already standard practice for the majority of clerks across the state.

Formalizing them as a rule will increase the uniformity of candidate eligibility requirements.