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Senior voting advocates rally in Lansing against voter suppression

Older Michigan voters gathered on the Capitol lawn Wednesday in opposition to the voting rights bills circulating in the Michigan Legislature.

LANSING, Mich. — Senior voters, advocates and voter rights organizations gathered on the capitol lawn Wednesday to rally against voter suppression. 

Multiple voting rights bills are now circulating the legislature, and if the bills are passed, could put restrictions on how Michigan voters cast their ballot in upcoming elections. 

Warren Danford is a board member of the Michigan Alliance of Retired Americans, and says the legislature should be working to make it easier for everyone to vote.

"The legislature should be making it easier for more people to vote, not more difficult," Warren says. "And it seems like this day and time, it used to not be like that, they used to try to make it easier. Now in the last few years, especially this year, they've been making it more difficult."

While many of the proposed restrictions, including limiting ballot box drop-off locations and updating I.D. requirements, are proposed with the intention of avoiding voter fraud, the rally attendees told 13 ON YOUR SIDE that such restrictions are making it harder for older voters to participate. 

Susan Anderson is the leader of a grassroots organization, the Blue Brigade. She says senior voters in Michigan have been voting via absentee ballot for years, and would like to keep the rules just as they have been. She has this message for lawmakers:

"They are being watched," Susan says. "I hope they know that this may affect their electability, and I hope they decide to stop it."

Mary Brown is a volunteer for Voters Not Politicians, a non-partisan organization working to expand voter access for every American voter regardless of their party affiliation. She says people in her own neighborhood already face multiple challenges in casting their votes during elections, and adding restrictions would only make it more difficult.

"Here's an example of a woman who lives in my neighborhood," Mary explains. "She recently had an illness that took away her drivers license, so when they take away her drivers license, she can't drive a car, she can't have a photo I.D., she doesn't really have a mechanism by which to give a copy onto an absentee ballot, so they've basically taken away that neighbor's vote."

13 ON YOUR SIDE reached out to the Michigan House and Michigan Senate Republicans for reaction to today's voter suppression rally, but have not yet received their response. 

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