Waterford Today

After a Chinese national was charged with voting illegally in Michigan, state Representative Mike Harris has called for legislative action to enhance election security. The individual, a student at the University of Michigan, reportedly registered to vote in Ann Arbor and cast a ballot in the November election without being required by federal law to prove citizenship.

Harris emphasized the need for the Democrat-majority U.S. Senate to pass the SAVE Act, legislation designed to close this loophole. "If you’re not a citizen, you shouldn’t be voting in our elections, but federal law let this Chinese national vote without proving citizenship," Harris stated. He further criticized Michigan's secretary of state for only catching the illegal voter post-factum and urged Congress to act on passing the SAVE Act.

The SAVE Act, H.R.8281, successfully passed through the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support in July.

Beyond advocating for federal changes, Harris also pushed for reforms within Michigan itself to bolster election security. "Michigan must also take action to safeguard our elections from fraud and error," he said. Among his proposals are measures such as verifying voters' identification and eliminating print-on-demand ballots.

Harris cited several Republican-backed bills aimed at improving Michigan's electoral processes: House Bill 4227 mandates maintaining a voter's photograph in the qualified voter file; House Bill 4871 bans on-demand ballot printing; House Bill 4875 focuses on cleaning voter rolls; and House Bill 4874 aims at enhancing transparency by publicizing clerks' training completion statuses.

He criticized Democrats in the Michigan Legislature for what he perceives as weakening election security over recent years by allowing practices like on-demand ballot printing and easing registration standards that could facilitate illegal voting activities.