Groups allege Michigan of violating federal voter registration law

A group of organizations including Demos, Project Vote, the Lawyer’s Committee on Civil Rights, and the NAACP have sent a letter (PDF) to the Michigan Secretary of State alleging that the state has been violating the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). The NVRA requires states to provide voter registration services at state offices that provide public assistance, which includes state departments of motor vehicles and social service offices.

The groups conducted interviews with individuals who requested service at state offices. The results of the interviews showed that a majority of those visiting the human services offices in Michigan did not know that they could register to vote at that location, and of those who requested a voter registration form, only 25% were given one. The letter goes on to say that Michigan could have prevented these problems and that the state must make sure that the NVRA is implemented properly.

Read more on this in the Michigan Messenger.

Earlier this year, Demos, along with Project Vote and the Lawyer’s Committee, released a report on the impact of the NVRA. Download that report here.