Michigan Senate GOP relaxes bill to close drop boxes early
By DAVID EGGERTMay 6, 2021 GMT
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Senate Republicans on Wednesday relaxed legislation that would have prohibited the use of absentee ballot drop boxes on Election Day, instead proposing to close them at 5 p.m. — three hours before Michigan polls close.
The change, which did not appease opponents, was announced as the GOP-led Senate Elections Committee held its third hearing on measures in a 39-bill package, parts of which would restrict the absentee voting process.
Sen. Ed McBroom, a Vulcan Republican, said officials in Detroit — the state’s largest city — faced a “huge burden” collecting and counting thousands of ballots in drop boxes in November’s presidential election.