Tri-City Sun

State Representative Mike Hoadley, a Republican from Au Gres, has spearheaded the adoption of a plan aimed at addressing issues within Michigan's Qualified Voter File (QVF). House Bill 4356 proposes that the Secretary of State send prepaid postcards to voters who have not participated in elections for eight consecutive years. The postcard would inform these voters that their registration will be terminated if they do not respond.

Hoadley stated, "If someone has been an inactive voter for eight years, then something likely changed with their qualifications, or they’re no longer interested in voting." He further explained the motivation behind the bill: "Our caucus has made multiple requests to Jocelyn Benson to turn over the state’s QVF data. We don’t know what’s on the rolls and we’ve heard testimony from multiple individuals about erroneous registration cards or dead people on the list. The only way to put people’s minds at ease is if we clean this mess up."

The bill was passed by the House on Thursday evening and now awaits consideration by the Michigan Senate.

Expressing his satisfaction with the progress, Hoadley remarked, "I am excited this method will facilitate the clean-up of the voter rolls. By communicating directly with the voter, we’ll secure voter rolls simply and responsibly. It should be easy to vote and hard to cheat. This simple fix will secure our elections without negatively impacting active voters."