Good morning, yes I would like to give my congrats as well. I saw it on the
news yesterday morning that is wonderful Fred and Mike you did a great job you
made national news. That is pretty awesome. Again, great job.
Peg Yats.
On May 4, 2020, at 9:39 AM, Lucy Edmonds <lucyjean11@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Way to go Fred and Michael Powell! I apologize if I’m not allowed to forward
this message, but here it is anyway.
Lucy edmonds
Begin forwarded message:
From: Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
<LARA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: May 4, 2020 at 9:01:53 AM EDT
To: lucyjean11@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: May 5th Absentee Voting Provisions
Reply-To: LARA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Note: Date and action required – Also, elections are not occurring in all
voting districts. This only applies to elections occurring locally May 5th
Friday, May 1, 2020
SOS Reaches Settlement On Absentee Provisions For Blind Voters
The Department of State Friday reached a settlement agreement with two blind
Michiganders looking to change how absentee ballots can be cast for people
with visual disabilities in light of safety and privacy concerns during the
ongoing new coronavirus pandemic.
Signed by U.S. District Court Judge Gershwin Drain, the agreement allows for
voters with visual disabilities to cast ballots absentee through use of the
Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, so long as the voter
can provide a declaration that they are blind or otherwise severely disabled
"and that such a disability would prevent them from being able to
independently complete a paper absentee ballot, without traveling to a
location accepting in-person registration and voting on May 5, 2020."
These stipulations only apply to the May 5 election and does not resolve the
overall motion as it relates to elections in August and November, as well as
all future elections.
"I am proud we collaboratively identified a temporary solution to expand
voting access for blind citizens in Michigan," Secretary of State Jocelyn
Benson said in a statement. "I am confident we will continue our work to
successfully identify and implement a long-term solution as well. Ensuring
all citizens have equal access to their right to vote is a priority for my
administration."
To be eligible, a person must complete an application and declaration by 4
p.m. Tuesday, May 5, which will be available on the Bureau of Election's
website. Voters will need to provide a state driver's license or personal
identification card number, or the last four digits of their social security
number to apply. Applications can be submitted to their local clerk by mail
or e-mail.
Upon submitting a declaration requesting the relief, and being found
eligible for the program, the voter will then cast a standard UOCAVA ballot
as forwarded to them by the Bureau of Elections. This ballot will be made
compatible with standard screen reader technology, including Job Access with
Speech software, and made so that it can "be completed independently and
privately."
Previously the state claimed changes to the current absentee ballot process
in order to alleviate proposed burdens on voters who are blind would be
"essentially impossible … to adopt and implement" in time for various
elections across the state next week.
That was according to a filing Thursday, which came as a response to the
original suit filed last month, which claims that voting absentee amidst the
COVID-19 pandemic puts blind voters' safety and privacy at risk (See Gongwer
Michigan Report, April 27, 2020).
The initial suit alleged the state could offer additional services for
absentee voting for Michiganders with disabilities, such as through use of
an online ballot marking tool.
"Even if software is available in other states, there is no existing
framework for those technologies to interact with Michigan's election
system. It is simply not possible to implement such a system in a matter of
days, as the plaintiffs demand here," the Thursday filing says. "That is
especially so where this lawsuit was filed 10 days before the May 5 election
date. Plaintiffs' delay in bringing this action was unreasonable and has
prejudiced the ability of the state defendants both to respond fully to
these claims and to comply with the kind of injunction they propose."
The department contended that while it could be easy in other states for
implement such software, due to the way Michigan conducts its elections at
the local level, it would "require months of planning to implement
successfully" – as would be the case with any new procedure being
implemented. Issues pertaining to how secure this software would be were
also raised.
"Election administration in Michigan is decentralized and relies on local
clerks for implementation," the filing says. "Even for matters less
substantive than the addition of an entirely new method of voting, the
Secretary of State and Bureau of Elections generally provide training to
these clerks months and weeks before elections – not in less than a week
before an election. … While the state defendants continue to support new
accessibility options for disabled voters, such fundamental changes to
Michigan's election system are not something that can rushed into existence
over the course of a weekend."
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