To the Journal editor:

I am writing to correct some misinformation in a recent Letter to the Editor concerning the For the People Act which passed the House as HR1 and is now in the Senate as S1.

The writer stated that “voter ID is not required.” That is incorrect. The same voter ID procedure as has been used in Michigan and every other state would continue. ID is required but what constitutes ID has been made restrictive in many states. That is what would change.

Also, the same criteria for voter registration of being a U.S. citizen and being 18 or older would continue. Therefore, “the dead, illegals, 16-year-olds, etc.” would not be voting. Sixteen-year-olds would, however, be allowed to pre-register so that they would be ready to vote at 18.

No one can vote who is not on the voting rolls. These are checked every time you go to vote and once voted you cannot vote again. Therefore, no one would be able to go from precinct to precinct voting with false names and addresses.

No one is proposing sending absentee ballots to everyone. Applications for absentee ballots, however, may be sent to registered voters. And yes, tax dollars fund every step of our voting process, as they should.

Basically, as far as voting rights go, this act would put in place for the whole nation the provisions that Michigan overwhelmingly voted for in 2018 in Propositions Two and Three. And with these, Michigan had a clean and fair vote in 2020 despite COVID-19 and all the political turmoil.

The For the People Act is a complex piece of legislation and I would suggest that it be studied carefully. The Brennan Center for Justice has an excellent Annotated Study Guide for the bill.

Understanding how are voting system works and the checks built into it would also be useful for anyone debating this bill.