Elections: absent voters; no reason absentee voting; eliminate, and require electors to provide a reason to vote an absent voter ballot. Amends secs. 2, 509aa, 759, 759a & 761 of 1954 PA 116 (MCL 168.2 et seq.); adds sec. 758 & repeals secs. 6, 759e, 759f & 759g of 1954 PA 116 (MCL 168.6 et seq).
Key claim: SB1054 would eliminate no-reason absentee voting in Michigan and require electors to provide a qualifying reason to receive an absent voter ballot.
Abstract
(SB1054 · 103rd Legislature) Elections: absent voters; no reason absentee voting; eliminate, and require electors to provide a reason to vote an absent voter ballot. Amends secs. 2, 509aa, 759, 759a & 761 of 1954 PA 116 (MCL 168.2 et seq.); adds sec. 758 & repeals secs. 6, 759e, 759f & 759g of 1954 PA 116 (MCL 168.6 et seq). Latest action (2026-06-23): Referred To Committee On Elections And Ethics
Why this matters
No-reason absentee voting was added to Michigan’s Constitution by voters via Proposal 3 in 2018 and is a core piece of how millions of Michiganders now cast ballots. A statutory attempt to require a reason for an absent voter ballot would change intake, application processing, and clerk workflows, and would raise questions about compatibility with the constitutional right — making this a consequential proposal to track regardless of its introduced-only status.