Great Lakes Wire

A petition drive to end run Michigan Gov. Gretchen Witmer’s opposition to a variety of election laws is ahead of schedule, according to a spokesman for Secure MI Vote, the citizens group behind the effort.

“We need 340,000 signatures by early April but are planning to get a number well north of that,” Jamie Roe told the Great Lakes Wire.

Roe said he was reluctant to reveal how many signatures they already had for fear of “telegraphing” their efforts “to left-wing hit squads” lined up in opposition to the drive.

In October, Whitmer vetoed a series of election bills sent to her by the Republican-controlled Legislature, including one, Senate Bill 303, that would remove the option of allowing a prospective voter without an ID to cast a vote by affirming their identity through a signed affidavit. Another bill, Senate Bill 304, addresses provisional ballots and voter verification. Whitmer told lawmakers at the time that the bills would “disproportionately harm people of color,” Bridge Michigan reports.

The voting measures can become law without Whitmer’s signature through a provision in the Michigan Constitution that permits citizen-driven legislative initiatives. The above proposals, and one prohibiting officials from sending out unsolicited absentee ballots, would become law if the Michigan Board of State Canvassers verifies the signatures on Secure MI Vote's petition, and the Legislature approves the package within 45 days with a simple majority vote.

Roe said Secure MI Vote will continue to work with conservative groups throughout the state and hold signature gatherings to meet the required number.

Secure MI Vote is an “independent citizens group” and not affiliated with any political party, Roe said, although he himself has worked in Republican politics for nearly 30 years.

In the November 2020 elections, 11,417 Michigan voters with no IDs cast in-person ballots, according to the Election Transparency Initiative, citing data from the Michigan Department of State.

By a margin of 79.7% to 16.2%, Michigan voters overwhelmingly support requiring voters to present a government ID when voting in person, according to the results of a May statewide poll conducted by the Detroit Regional Chamber. The support includes majorities from every demographic group.

A separate poll by the Honest Elections Project shows that 64% of voters, including black (51%) and Hispanic (66%) voters, as well as urban (59%) and independent (61%) voters, support increased voting safeguards that mitigate fraud.

President Joe Biden carried Michigan over former President Donald Trump by 154,000 votes in the 2020 election. The former president has offered baseless claims that voter fraud caused him to lose the presidential contest.