Statement by Bob Edgar on Veto of Michigan Voter ID Bill

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  • Dale Eisman

Common Cause President Bob Edgar today issued the following statement in response to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s vetoes of voter ID legislation and other bills to restrict voting rights in his state.

I’m pleased to salute Gov. Rick Snyder for standing up today on behalf of the voting rights – in Michigan and beyond.

On the eve of Independence Day, the governor bucked the conventional wisdom in his party and set an example for his fellow governors, Democratic as well as Republican, by vetoing voter suppression legislation. Gov. Snyder vetoed House Bill 5061, and Senate bills 754 and 803, which would have caused unnecessary confusion and discouraged thousands of eligible voters, especially the poor and elderly, from voting in November.

We know there are few instances of people trying to commit voter fraud by going to the polls and pretending to be someone else. Voter ID laws like the one rejected by Gov. Snyder simply discourage and can prevent tens of thousands of eligible voters, mostly students, elderly and minorities, from casting a vote.

As the governor observed in his veto messages, “voting rights are precious and we need to work especially hard to make it possible for people to vote.” I hope the governor’s actions today are the start of a strong, bipartisan push toward that goal.