Common Cause Hails U.S. Supreme Court’s Rejection of MI AG’s Last-Ditch Appeal to Ban Straight-Ticket Voting this Election

Group Calls on AG To Release the Amount the State Spent on All Court Action in the Name of Transparency

Common Cause, a party to the lawsuit, issued the following statement today applauding the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of Attorney General Bill Schuette’s and the Michigan Secretary of State’s appeal to reinstate the straight-ticket voting ban in time for the November 8 election:

“The U.S. Supreme Court made the right decision to reject Attorney General Bill Schuette’s ill-advised, last-minute appeal to ban straight-ticket voting in Michigan. This was a clear assault on basic voting rights, which would disproportionately have affected communities of color,” said Allegra Chapman, Director of Voting and Elections for Common Cause.  “The Attorney General has been on the losing side of this issue in court, time and time again.  In the name of government transparency, Common Cause calls on AG Schuette to disclose how much the State spent on court action for this case.”

On Sept. 1, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Schuette’s emergency motion.  That followed a unanimous 6th Circuit Court decision last month to reject the State’s appeal for straight-ticket voting ban.  In July, a Detroit U.S. District Court judge struck down the straight-ticket ban, ruling it would harm African-Americans’ ability to participate in the political process.