A bill headed to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would clear the way for outside parties to pay for free or discounted rides to help voters get to the polls on Election Day.
HB 4568 cleared the Michigan Senate Tuesday on a 20-18 party-line vote.
"While voters may take advantage of free rides to the polls, hiring transportation through apps like Uber or Lyft, for example, could be more accessible; however, current law prohibits this," the Senate Fiscal Agency wrote in its brief rationale for the bill.
Republicans say the bill might be well-intentioned but argue it would leave too much room for abuse by groups trying to get in the last word before dropping voters off at polling places.
State Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan), who sits on the Senate Elections and Ethics Committee, said the offer of a ride poses a risk that “such transportation to the polls provides for electioneering and possible intimidation of voters.”
He argued the bill would allow partisan organizations to use rides to make sure they get the last word before voters are dropped off at the polls.
“The potential for abuse in this situation continues to exist and is something we have long recognized in law: that providing opportunities for voter intimidation or manipulation is wrong,” McBroom said.
But state Sen. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield), who chairs the elections committee, said Michigan is one of only a few states that doesn’t allow ride-sharing services to offer free or discounted lifts to polling places. He refutes claims groups are monitoring Election Day decisions of the people they transport.
“You’re going to go to the poll and make your choice in the privacy of the voting booth,” Moss said.
Moss said the cost of keeping the status quo would be failing to help more people vote.
Whitmer, a Democrat, is expected to sign the bill.