Mich. gov. vetoes voter ID measure

LANSING, Mich., July 3 (UPI) -- Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder Tuesday vetoed Republican-backed legislation that critics called an attempt to suppress voting by minorities and the poor.

Snyder, a Republican, vetoed a bill that would have required citizens to have voter ID the first time they register to vote or to obtain absentee ballots, the Detroit Free Press reported. In a statement, he said the requirement "could create voter confusion among absentee voters."

He signed legislation intended to purge voter registration rolls of the names of dead or departed voters, and to strengthen ballot security, the newspaper said.

Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger, a Republican, said through a spokesman he was "deeply disappointed" that Snyder vetoed "very reasonable reforms designed to protect the integrity of one of the most sacred rights in the United States."

Jessica Tramontana of the left-leaning advocacy group Progress Michigan told the Free Press the legislation Snyder vetoed would have "put unnecessary obstacles in the path to voting."

The vetoes followed an appearance by Snyder last week at the Council of Baptist Pastors in Detroit, where he was told about concerns the legislation would disproportionately affect the urban poor, the newspaper said.