Holland Reporter

As organizers behind a ballot initiative are mounting a push toward the November election, election integrity advocates are sounding the alarm. A local activist says the Promote the Vote ballot initiative will weaken Michigan election law, which is opposed by a supermajority of Michiganders from across the political spectrum.

"Whether you are Democrat or Republican, or independent – one thing we can all agree on is that our votes matter, and that our elections must be secure," said Orlando Estrada, a Holland-based political activist. "Promote the Vote is not promoting the vote, they are attacking the vote."

The Board of State Canvassers, a bipartisan committee, is meeting Wednesday to vote on whether organizers of ballot initiatives collected enough voter signatures to secure a place on the ballot for  the November election, the Detroit Free Press reported. Organizers must collect a minimum of 425,059 signatures from Michigan voters in order to secure a spot on the ballot, the story said.

The Democrat-led group Promote the Vote is funded by out-of-state, and even international sources, including billionaire George Soros, Politico reported.

A vast majority of funding for Promote the Vote came from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Bridge Michigan reported.

Together,  the amount given from the national ACLU group in New York and the amount given from ACLU’s Michigan branch accounts for 86% of Promote the Vote’s funding, according to Bridge MI. ACLU has a history of being funded by Soros' Open Society Foundations.

According to Campaign Finance Contribution data from the Michigan Secretary of State's Office, Promote the Vote received $2.5 million from the ACLU.

According to the Michigan Secretary of State's Office, voters do not currently need to show a photo ID to register to vote. A utility bill qualifies as a form of ID.

A supermajority, 75%, of Michiganders support showing an ID in order to vote, Great Lakes Wire reported.

Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed Republican-led efforts to secure Michigan elections including voter ID, Great Lakes Wire reported.