Ashleigh Smith made numerous trips to her polling place in Holton Township on November 8th, 2022, but was told by workers there that her address wasn’t showing up in the electronic roster of voters and she wouldn’t be given a ballot.
“But that list is not the definitive answer in this situation.”
Mark Brewer is Smith’s attorney and partner at Goodman Acker law firm.
“She had a receipt that indicated that she had registered to vote. Also, now under Michigan’s reformed laws of the last several years, before 2022, she could have registered to vote on the spot. We have same-day voter registration, and they never even offered her that option.”
Brewer also says that, at the very least, Smith should have been offered a provisional ballot where, after election day, the voter’s status can be investigated and their ballot cast if eligible.
“None of those options were made available to Ashleigh.”
The settlement reached with Smith has Holton Township agreeing to pay her $20,000, apologize to her, and participate in training to ensure that no eligible voter is denied the right to vote in the future.
Brewer says he doesn’t believe the intent of Holton Township poll workers was malicious but was due to a lack of training and understanding of election laws. He hopes this settlement sends a strong message.
“Voters are not to be denied the right to vote and, if they are, those townships, those cities, those jurisdictions, will be held accountable for doing that.”
A call seeking comment from the Holton Township clerk was not immediately returned.
