I just didn’t know if I was supposed to forward a message from another email
list
Lucy edmonds
On May 4, 2020, at 10:16 AM, Fred Olver <fredolver@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi Lucy just curious to know why you feel you feel you need to apologize for
a message with this content? Is it that you feel you have violated the list
guidelines whatever they are??? Or is it that the list “owners “, who
actually don’t on the list but only moderate its content, have you saw
Buffalo that you are afraid that they will slap you on the hands for posting
something that might not necessarily be their idea of what should be posted
to the list? I am curious to know and I bet others are too well maybe not but
nonetheless feel free to speak on this matter if you would Fred Olver
PS, whatever happened to the no-name show, did you guys run out of topics?
Sent from my iPhone
On May 4, 2020, at 8:39 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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