Voting Rights Coalition Urges Court to Uphold MI Constitution
View a PDF of the press release here.
Contact: Erin Lodes, erin@promotethevotemi.com
Promote the Vote Fund joins amicus brief on behalf of 37 disenfranchised Hamtramck voters
Lansing, MI - On Thursday, statewide nonpartisan voting rights coalition Promote the Vote Fund joined the American Civil Liberties Union Fund of Michigan and the League of Women Voters of Michigan Education Fund in submitting an amicus brief to the Michigan Court of Appeals, urging the Court to reverse the judgment of the Circuit Court, which resulted in the disenfranchisement of dozens of eligible Hamtramck voters.
“All eligible Michiganders have a fundamental right to vote—it’s in our state Constitution,” said Shira Roza, deputy director of Promote the Vote Fund. “The Wayne County Board of Canvassers’ failure to count the votes of 37 eligible voters in Hamtramck violates our state Constitution, plain and simple.”
Before the Wayne County Board of Canvassers certified the 2025 general election, but after the initial returns were reported to the Board by the Hamtramck City Clerk, 37 uncounted absentee ballots were found. In a split vote, Republican canvassers voted not to count the ballots while the Democratic canvassers voted to count them, resulting in the votes not being counted.
“Every voter should be able to cast their ballot with the confidence that their vote will be counted,” continued Roza. “As faith in our government institutions continues to fall, voters deserve to know the courts will ensure that every eligible vote is counted and every voice is heard.”
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