Governor Gretchen Whitmervetoed two election-related bills Friday that were sent to her by the Republican-controlled Legislature.
The governor said in her veto letter that the bills would divert resources from the Secretary of State’s and local clerks’ efforts to conduct fair elections.
One of the bills would give the Secretary of State 100 days to wrap up a check of petition signatures filed by a campaign to initiate a law.
Another would have moved the responsibility for cleaning up voter rolls from local clerks to county clerks.
Whitmer and legislative Republicans have battled over voting regulations and she said these bills would divert resources from ensuring fair elections.
In her veto letter, Whitmer asked the Legislature to, instead, send her bills to expand access to absentee voting and to giving clerks more time to process absentee ballots.
Whitmer is also expected to veto a requirement for voters to show a picture ID that was just sent to her by the Legislature.
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