LANSING, MI (AP)— Clerks and other opponents of a ballot initiative to toughen Michigan’s voting rules are concerned about its proposed ban on using donated spaces as polling places, saying churches and religious organizations account for 20 percent of them.
Progress Michigan, a liberal advocacy group, said Wednesday 664 of 3,355 polling places in 2020 were places of worship or similar religious spaces.
Clerks say they will face additional costs if the Republican-led Legislature adopts the initiative, for which signatures are being gathered.
The provision appears to be a response to $400 million donated by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife to help fund election offices nationwide as they dealt with the coronavirus pandemic.
