Latest news with #RachelleSmit
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan House passes ranked choice voting ban
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — A bill to ban the use of ranked choice voting in the state of Michigan has passed the state House of Representatives 57-44, with 9 not voting. , introduced by Republican State Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-43), would prohibit the state, as well as any city, township, or other municipality from conducting elections using ranked choice voting. Ranked choice voting allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. Candidates are then eliminated in rounds until a candidate wins a majority. The bill additionally includes any method that allows voters to vote for more candidates than total number of positions to be filled in the election. Smit says ranked choice voting is 'chaotic,' and that it would cost millions of tax dollars to implement. 'Studies and real-world elections have shown that Ranked Choice Voting disproportionately impacts minority voters and those who don't vote in every election,' wrote Smit in a news release obtained by 6 News. The representative also says the election method could confuse voters. 'Ranked Choice Voting, with its rounds of counting and reallocation, only breeds skepticism – especially when every close contest invites lawsuits and recount battles,' wrote Smit in a news release obtained by 6 News. The bill now goes to the Senate for further consideration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill to ban ranked choice voting in Michigan gets hearing by GOP-led House elections committee
House Election Integrity Committee Chair Rachelle Smit (R-Martin). Aug. 19, 2025 | Photo by Kyle Davidson/Michigan Advance While canvassers work to collect signatures in support of enshrining ranked choice voting in the Michigan Constitution, lawmakers are mulling a potential ban on the practice, with the bill's sponsor arguing it flies in the face of 'one person, one vote.' Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-Martin), chair of the House Election Integrity Committee on Tuesday testified on her House Bill 4707, which would prohibit ranked choice voting in the state, and invalidate any local ordinance that permits it. Rather than casting a ballot for one candidate, ranked choice voting asks voters to rank candidates for a position based on preference. However, Smit argued the system is confusing, and would burden clerks after sweeping changes to Michigan's election system were approved by voters in 2022. These include allowing for nine days of early voting, permitting voters to use a photo ID or sign an affidavit in order to verify their identity and allowing voters to place themselves on a permanent absentee voter list. 'By prohibiting ranked choice voting, we will ensure that the principles of one person one vote continues, and we will avoid confusion and additional burdens on our already-stressed election administrators,' Smit said. In her testimony, Smit noted that two states currently use ranked choice voting, Alaska and Maine. Sixteen others have prohibited the practice, while its legal status remains up in the air in Michigan. However, Rep. Stephen Wooden (D-Grand Rapids), the committee' minority vice chair, questioned the need for a ban, noting that Michigan's election law already prescribes the time and manner of each election in a way that does not allow for ranked choice voting. Five cities in the state have adopted Ranked Choice Voting measures for their local elections: Ann Arbor, Ferndale, East Lansing, Kalamazoo and Royal Oak. However, state law has kept the localities from implementing these measures. In response, Smit said the state does not expressly prohibit or allow for ranked choice voting, and that the goal of the bill is to clearly establish that it is not allowed in state, local or federal elections. Responding to another question from Wooden, Smit said the bill was a response to the Rank MI Vote ballot effort, later confirming that if Michigan voters were to approve the proposed constitutional amendment, her bill would be rendered unenforceable. Trent England, one of the chairs of the anti-ranked choice voting coalition Stop RCV, argued ranked choice voting makes the whole process more difficult, complicating ballot design, lengthening instruction on the ballot and requiring voters to have more information both about the ranked choice voting process, and the candidates themselves. 'You might say, 'Well, I only have one candidate I like,' but if you don't rank other candidates, you run the risk of being actually disenfranchised in the election,' England said. He also cited a 2022 incident in Alameda County, California where the county's ranked choice voting system was not properly configured. As a result, the initially certified results for an Oakland school board race were not correct. Shelly Lake, deputy clerk for Irving Township in Barry County, said that if ranked choice voting was approved in Michigan, she expected the number of spoiled ballots would greatly increase due to issues with how a voter fills out their ballot. However, Joe Spaulding, campaign director for Rank MI Vote, said the error rate for ranked choice elections is roughly the same as single-candidate elections. Spaulding noted that Michigan's political parties currently use a modified form of ranked choice voting in selecting their nominee for attorney general and secretary of state. 'If ranked choice voting is good for the party in the primary, I promise it's good for the public in the general election,' Spaulding said. Spaulding also argued that single-choice elections punish voters when more candidates run, while ranked choice voting incentivizes collaboration over partisanship. 'Liberals and conservatives don't want to vote for the lesser of two evils. Progressives want options outside of the oligarchy, in their words. [Make America Great Again Republicans] want choices beyond what they call a uniparty.…ranked choice voting is a very simple solution to the issue of voters getting punished when they're given more choices in an election,' Spaulding said. Members of the committee voted 6-3 along party lines to send the bill back to the House floor for further consideration.
Epoch Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Michigan House Holds Secretary of State Benson in Contempt for Defying Subpoena
The Michigan House declared Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in civil contempt on May 22 for defying a subpoena and refusing to turn over remaining election training materials that lawmakers seek for legislative oversight. The contempt The resolution was introduced by chairman of the House Oversight Committee Rep. Jay DeBoyer, a Republican, who said he put it forward after receiving word from the Michigan department of state that it would not be providing any additional materials. 'The Legislature is the body that determines how elections are run—the time, the manner, the place,' DeBoyer said in a May 22 Benson, a Democrat, responded on May 22 in a 'However, I also have a duty to protect the security of our elections from politicians seeking information that would enable someone to interfere with the chain of custody of ballots, tamper with election equipment, or impersonate a clerk on Election Day.' Related Stories 6/4/2024 3/22/2024 The training materials in question are those provided to local clerks instructing them on ballot handling, voter file access, and equipment protocols across the state. Rep. Joseph Fox, the Republican vice-chair of the House Election Integrity Committee, said in a House Republicans suggested that elected representatives be granted secure The department of state instead According to Michigan Michigan state Rep. Rachelle Smit. Courtesy of Rachelle Smit State Rep. Rachelle Smit, a Republican, said she has served as a clerk, 'and like thousands of other clerks, I had access to this information. My accessing it now shouldn't be controversial.' 'For seven months, we've given Secretary Benson every opportunity to sit down with us and discuss the training process for clerks and their staffs,' Smit said in a Benson also said her office has 'repeatedly asked the members of the committee to meet with us over the last several months. They have refused.' Disagreement Over Transparency and Security The action follows numerous losses by Benson in state court rulings since 2020 that her guidance violated state and federal election law, as previously Smit said legislative oversight of Benson's election administration is necessary because 'the training directives given by Secretary Benson have been deemed unlawful by Michigan courts seven times ... Secretary Benson has a proven record of failure, and the public deserves to check her work.' Benson said the issue is a need to balance transparency and oversight with security. 'I do not work for the chair of the Oversight Committee. I do not work for the House Republicans. I work for the people of Michigan and I will not put their election security, or their votes, or their voices at risk,' she said. 'I look forward to now having this conversation in front of a judge in a court of law.' House Democrat Leader Ranjeev Puri did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Jeopardizes the process:' Benson responds to House Oversight Committee subpoena
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has doubled down on her refusal to turn election training materials over to the House Oversight Committee, which has subpoenaed her for documents she says could harm the state's election security if handed over. In a letter sent to the committee on her behalf by the Michigan Department of Attorney General, Benson maintains that the materials could compromise election security, as they contain sensitive information that could be used to tamper with ballots and other election equipment and even impersonate a clerk on Election Day. FILE – Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Secretary of State, (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) Subpoena for election training materials delivered to Secretary of State State Rep. Jay Deboyer (R-Clay Twp.), the chair of the House Oversight Committee, says the Secretary of State has refused to turn requested materials over to him or any other member of the state legislature for five months, following a request from House Election Integrity Committee Chair State Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-Shelbyville). The committee gave Benson a deadline of April 14 to provide the materials, and when the office did not comply, the House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena them. State Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township) 'The department has been unable to provide a compelling reason for why they are unwilling to give us, the people's elected representatives, access to materials that are available to every single locally elected clerk in the state of Michigan and their respective staffs,' said DeBoyer. A portion of the letter reads: The Secretary of State firmly believes transparency in the administration of Michigan elections is vitally important. To that end, [M]DOS's Elections website is replete with information concerning all aspects of the voting process—from registering to vote, to tabulating ballots, to post-election audits, and everything in between. But just as important is protecting the security and integrity of the voting process itself. Releasing material that would reveal security feature information or other sensitive information jeopardizes the process. This is true even if those seeking the information are well-intentioned, because each time sensitive information is released, its potential for intentional or accidental disclosure to those who would misuse it increases. Letter from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on behalf of Secretary of State Benson and the Department of State, May 7, 2025. The letter also says that the subpoenas violate state law and the rules of the Michigan House of Representatives—and that they have no legislative purpose. Benson says her office has provided more than 3,000 pages of documents to the committee, ones that do not include sensitive information. The full letter and provided attachments can be viewed below. 2025.05.07-House-Oversight-Committee-subpeona-response-AG-letterDownload 2025.05.07-Attachments-House-Oversight-Committee-subpoena-response-AG-letterDownload Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
To The Point: Divided government, election integrity
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — On this 'To The Point,' a look at divided government and election integrity. Two members of the committee tasked with looking at elections will be our guests, including the chair of the committee, Rachelle Smit, R-Shelbyville, who tells us, 'I, as the chair of the Election Integrity Committee, would like to see from the Secretary of State internal training manuals.' Committee member Stephen Wooden, D-Grand Rapids, says, 'We're seeing far more partisan games being played on the committee than we are seeing policy. Thus far, we've taken up two bills.' How Lansing is dealing with divided government and more on this 'To The Point' episode for the weekend of May 3. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
