Michigan added an unconstitutional "Are you a United States citizen?"
question to the November ballot, and it must be removed "to avert an
election day disaster," the ACLU and others claim in Federal Court.
The plaintiffs claim the ballot checkbox disenfranchised voters and created a "calamitous" situation during the August primaries.
They claim that defendant Secretary of State Ruth Johnson put the checkbox on the August ballots "despite the fact that the governor had recently vetoed a bill adding the same requirement to the Michigan election law, out of concern that it would confuse voters."
"As documented below, the results were calamitous. Administration of the citizenship box was handled differently depending on the jurisdiction and precinct, with some voters denied a ballot if they did not complete the checkbox and others able to vote after ignoring it.
"The confusion was exacerbated when defendant Johnson changed the rules mid-day, with the result that people who voted in the morning were treated differently than those who voted later in the day. The confusion and consternation caused by the checkbox and its inconsistent administration delayed, inconvenienced and probably deterred many voters."
Three voters, the Service Employees International Union, Latin Americans for Social and Economic Development and the ACLU sued the secretary of state, seeking declaratory judgment and asking that the checkbox be taken off the November general election ballots.
Read more: http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/09/19/50426.htm
The plaintiffs claim the ballot checkbox disenfranchised voters and created a "calamitous" situation during the August primaries.
They claim that defendant Secretary of State Ruth Johnson put the checkbox on the August ballots "despite the fact that the governor had recently vetoed a bill adding the same requirement to the Michigan election law, out of concern that it would confuse voters."
"As documented below, the results were calamitous. Administration of the citizenship box was handled differently depending on the jurisdiction and precinct, with some voters denied a ballot if they did not complete the checkbox and others able to vote after ignoring it.
"The confusion was exacerbated when defendant Johnson changed the rules mid-day, with the result that people who voted in the morning were treated differently than those who voted later in the day. The confusion and consternation caused by the checkbox and its inconsistent administration delayed, inconvenienced and probably deterred many voters."
Three voters, the Service Employees International Union, Latin Americans for Social and Economic Development and the ACLU sued the secretary of state, seeking declaratory judgment and asking that the checkbox be taken off the November general election ballots.
Read more: http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/09/19/50426.htm
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