Amid the backdrop of, well, everything up to and after the November election, there were some encouraging signs this week in Michigan. A pair of bills were introduced by Republican state lawmakers and supported by Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to clear up confusion and build confidence in the voting system ahead of the next election.
To be clear, I don't think this is big news. Nor do I think this is exciting news. But it is noteworthy — something doable is being done, something seemingly worthwhile and positive.
I also don't think this should be called bipartisan. Bipartisan has come to imply that there was some sort of compromise worked out between two political parties. Say you have a line, and on one end is the truth and on the other are outrageous, easily disproven conspiracy theories. And the one party says to the other, "Hey, let's meet in the middle." That's reasonable, right? Um, no.
There is no compromise with these bills — just agreement on some actions to help better maintain voter rolls. We can do that! It's okay. No posturing or screaming or insurrecting required. Nice, huh?
John Auchter is a freelance political cartoonist. His views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Radio, its management, or its license holder, the University of Michigan.
