Michigan on Thursday became the first U.S. state to automatically register people to vote when they are released from prison, part of a slew of new election laws that also affect artificial intelligence, harassment and young voters.
House Bill 4983, signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, requires the Secretary of State’s office and Department of Corrections to ensure eligible people are registered to vote when released from incarceration. It takes effect June 30, 2025.
Automatic voter registration has been law in Michigan since 2019. When you apply for or update your driver’s license or state ID card at a Secretary of State branch, you’re asked if you want to register to vote if you’re not already on the rolls.
When convicted of a felony, Michiganders lose their right to vote while they’re behind bars. But after being released, they may not know they can reclaim that right. Under the new law, ex-prisoners would get a letter in the mail notifying them they’ve been newly registered to vote, as well as giving them the option to decline.
“Our democracy works best when every citizen is able to participate” Kim Murphy-Kovalick, programs director for advocacy group Voters Not Politicians, said in a statement.
Research shows that taking away voting rights impedes formerly incarcerated people from reintegrating into their communities, says sentencing reform advocate Nicole D. Porter. These folks are also disproportionately people of color.
“Expanding voting rights can be linked to a reduced likelihood that an individual will commit another crime,” Porter, senior director of advocacy for The Sentencing Project, said in a statement.
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Other voting-related bills the governor signed Thursday include lowering the age for preregistration, strengthening penalties for harassing poll workers and regulating artificial intelligence in campaign ads.
HB 4569 allows Michiganders as young as 16 to preregister to vote. 17.5-year-olds are already able to preregister in preparation for voting in the first election in which they’ll be 18.
Lawmakers hope this extension to younger voters will increase voter participation. The Secretary of State’s office and Department of Education will coordinate outreach efforts in schools for eligible teens.
HB 4129 and Senate Bill 505 outlaw intimidating an election worker and preventing them from performing official duties. Penalties range from 93 days in prison for a first offense to five years for a third offense.
“The job of election officials has increasingly become politicized,” Rep. Kara Hope, D-Holt, said in a statement. “It’s critical that we step up to protect their safety and their ability to do their jobs.”
Michigan is the fifth state to regulate artificial intelligence in elections after Whitmer signed HBs 5141, 5143, 5144 and 5145. They require a disclaimer on political ads that use AI-generated content, and they ban deepfakes in election communications.
They also criminalize knowingly distributing AI-generated deceptive media with the intent of misleading voters or harming a candidate’s reputation within 90 days of an election.
“In an era where trust in our democratic institutions is paramount, these measures champion honesty and transparency — the bedrock principles of our democracy,” House Elections Committee chair Penelope Tsernoglou, D-East Lansing, said in a statement.
The new laws signed Thursday are the latest changes to Michigan elections following the implementation of last year’s voter-approved Proposal 2. New features include nine days of early in-person voting, more absentee ballot drop boxes and the ability to sign one form to receive absentee ballots in perpetuity.
Lawmakers also went further in some areas, like allowing clerks more days before an election to count absentee votes and expanding the types of acceptable IDs voters can use to prove they’re registered.
