LANSING – A bill that would allow in-person, no-reason absentee voting will come up for discussion among majority Senate Republicans, officials said Tuesday after Governor Rick Snyder signed a bill ending the option for voters to choose a party’s slate of candidates with a single selection on their ballot.

Snyder, in a signing statement, said expanding Michigan’s “archaic absentee voting law” would address concerns about longer Election Day lines at the polls as a result of voters needing more time to fill out the entire partisan portion of the ballot.

When the House passed the repeal of straight-ticket voting (SB 13, PA 268, immediate effect), it tie-barred the bill to HB 4724, which would have allowed in-person, no-reason absentee voting. But the Senate, where Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof (R-West Olive) and Sen. Dave Robertson (R-Grand Blanc), chair of the Elections and Government Reform Committee, staunchly oppose expanding absentee voting, broke the tie-bar and sent only the straight ticket repeal to Mr. Snyder’s desk upon concurrence from the House.

Snyder said voters should have at least 15 days to vote absentee prior to Election Day.

“I urge the Senate to pass the bill and send it to me as soon as possible to be signed into law,” Snyder said in his signing statement. “This will not only provide greater access to the polls, it will also help alleviate long lines at the ballot box.”

Meekhof spokesperson Amber McCann said she expected a Republican caucus discussion on the issue. She said while Meekhof and Robertson personally oppose expanding absentee voting, some members are interested in the issue.

“When the governor issues a comment like that on signing a bill, I’m sure it will lead to some discussion around the caucus table, yes,” she said.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Mike Kowall (R-White Lake Township) said the no-reason absentee voting bill should receive hearings, be sent to the Senate floor and then put up for a vote.

Kowall said he has not given the bill a lot of thought, but is “very open to looking at it.” He noted that Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, a Republican, supports the bill.

“That in and of itself should give it the latitude it needs to have a fair hearing,” he said. “She is on our team the last I checked.”

Johnson also urged the Legislature to send Snyder the no-reason absentee voting bill.

“First the state House voted in support, and now Governor Snyder has gone on record in support of creating a secure absentee voting option for Michigan’s hardworking families,” she said in a statement. “I strongly encourage the Legislature to finish the job for their clerks and voters who know this time-saving option will increase election integrity and help Election Day run more smoothly. The bill expands opportunities for absentee voting, which aids Election Day efficiency, while preserving and increasing the integrity and security of our elections.”

Snyder’s request will lead to a “very open, frank discussion” in the caucus, Kowall said.

“And I know the governor and the majority leader have already had some conversations,” he said.

Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons (R-Alto), sponsor of the no-reason absentee voting bill, praised Mr. Snyder’s action.

“Secure no-reason absentee voting is pro-voter and common sense policy,” she said in a statement. “I urge the Senate to join the governor, secretary of state, and the House of Representatives in standing up for Michigan voters by passing House Bill 4724.”

As to why Snyder did not insist on the Legislature sending him the two bills tie-barred, Snyder deputy press secretary Anna Heaton said the administration worked with the Legislature “and this is the final product they sent.”

DEMOCRATS CONSIDERING OPTIONS ON STRAIGHT TICKET: Michigan Democratic Party Chair Brandon Dillon said Democrats are reviewing all options to respond to the end of straight-ticket voting.

Statewide, Democrats tend to see more of their voters use the straight ticket option. Ending the option has been a longtime Republican goal. In 2001, the Republican-controlled Legislature passed, and then-Governor John Engler signed, a bill ending straight-ticket voting. But voters repealed the change via a 2002 referendum.

But the bill Snyder signed contains $5 million for new voting equipment. Any appropriation in a bill, no matter how small, immunizes a bill from the referendum process under a 2001 Michigan Supreme Court ruling.

Dillon said the bigger concern is the problems losing the option will pose to voters, like longer lines and confusion at the loss of the option.

Litigation and a ballot proposal to reverse the new law are among the possibilities, he said.

“All options are on the table. We are looking at a variety of ways to make sure that voters can vote the way they want to vote and make voting easier, not harder,” he said. “Those decisions will be made very quickly.”

As to the impact on the 2016 election, Dillon said Democrats still have the momentum in the election, especially if Donald Trump or U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is the Republican presidential nominee. Democrats will work to counter the loss of straight ticket voting, he said.

“People may have to wait to vote a little longer, but ultimately it’s going to be our job to make sure they finish the ballot and vote for Democrats,” he said.

Michigan AFL-CIO President Ron Bieber said the new law would make it more difficult to vote.

“Local clerks from all over the state testified that this bill will mean even longer lines at the polls this November – hurting our seniors, and voters who live in urban communities,” Bieber said in a statement. “It’s pretty clear that Governor Snyder and Lansing Republicans didn’t listen and don’t care. Instead of creating new barriers to the ballot box, they should be working to expand access to voting through no-reason absentee voting and expanded early voting.”

But Snyder echoed the assessment of Republican supporters of the bill in explaining why he signed it.

“Michigan is one of only 10 states that allows residents to vote for just a party affiliation rather than individual people. It’s time to choose people over politics,” he said.

This story was published by Gongwer News Service. To subscribe, click on www.gongwer.com