GM, Ford CEOs voice opposition to voting restrictions in Michigan and other states

The leaders of three-dozen major Michigan-based companies, including auto giants General Motors and Ford, announced Tuesday their opposition to Republican-sponsored election bills that critics say would make it harder to vote in Michigan and other states.

The businesses issued a joint statement saying they are united for principles such as equitable access to the ballot and the avoidance of moves that reduce voting — particularly among historically disenfranchised communities. The GOP-led state Senate is expected to soon begin hearings on wide-ranging legislation that would require a photo ID to vote in person, prohibit the unsolicited statewide mass mailing of absentee ballot applications and restrict the hours in which people could drop their ballot in curbside boxes. Voters applying for an absentee ballot — an increasingly popular option under a 2018 constitutional amendment and during the coronavirus pandemic — would have to attach a copy of their ID.