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The Michigan Senate.

(Jonathan Oosting | MLive.com)

Update: Michigan caps off 2015 with a flurry of election bill action

LANSING, MI --A bill to eliminate straight-ticket voting in Michigan passed the Senate Wednesday night with high drama and without a companion bill that would have expanded absentee voting options.

Senate bill 13 would take the straight-ticket option off Michigan ballots, something sponsor Sen. Marty Knollenberg, R-Troy, says 40 other states have done.

The legislation had passed the Senate last month but hit a hurdle in the House Elections Committee, where Democrats raised concerns that the change would translate into more time filling out ballots and longer lines, disenfranchising some voters.

House Elections Committee Chair Lisa Lyons, R-Alto, tie-barred it to House Bill 4724, a bill she sponsored that would allow somebody to request an absentee ballot in person without having to provide one of the reasons allowed under current state law. A tie-bar, in legislative parlance, means neither bill could go into effect unless the other were also enacted.

The Senate, however, was intent on considering the bills separately. Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive, said Tuesday that the Senate planned to break the tie-bar and move SB 13 alone, which is exactly what happened Wednesday evening with approval of an amendment from Sen. David Robertson, R-Grand Blanc.

Republicans paved the way for the bill's passage using some rare Senate procedure.

They cleared the floor of all staff except the Senate Majority Leader's, leaving Democratic senators without any staff members. Republicans also instituted a call of the Senate, meaning senators could not leave the chamber under threat of arrest.

Sen. Mike Kowall, R-White Lake, also moved to consider a group of Democratic amendments to the bill en bloc. As a result, seven Democratic amendments were not debated or voted on individually.

Sen. Curtis Hertel, D-Lansing, said it was ironic that Republicans took a straight-ticket approach to the Democratic amendments instead of addressing them individually.

"I guess you guys get a straight ticket. So that's fun. Merry Christmas to the rest of us in the state," Hertel said.

Senate Democrats also attempted to throw up a series of procedural hurdles, but with only 11 of 38 members in their caucus, they fell short. Sen. Morris Hood, D-Detroit, moved to adjourn before considering SB 13, a motion that failed. Sen. David Knezek, D-Dearborn Heights, spoke haltingly and slowly on an amendment he offered to use up his full allotted time.

Hertel offered an amendment to strip a $5 million appropriation for voting equipment out of the bill. He called the appropriation "a blatant attempt to shield bad policy from going to referendum."

Laws that contain appropriations are not subject to citizen repeal at the ballot. That may be relevant on this subject in particular, because in 2002 voters overturned a law that, among other things, eliminated the straight-party ticket. The amendment failed.

Knezek offered an amendment that would have tie-barred SB 13 to HB 5114, which would make election day a state holiday in Michigan and encourage private employers to provide a half-day of sick leave. It failed as well.

SB 13 ultimately passed 24-13, With Sens. Joe Hune, R-Hamburg, and Tory Rocca, R-Sterling Heights, joining Democrats in voting against it. Sen. Mike Green, R-Mayville, was absent and had been excused.

In his no vote explanation, Sen. Steve Bieda said the Senate should be ashamed of its actions.

"I originally planned to speaking to some of the amendments on this, but I'd like to just speak as my no vote explanation on Senate Bill 13, the bill to eliminate straight-ticket voting, otherwise known as the 'Donald-Trump-is-going-to-be-your-nominee-and-you're-terrified' bill," he said. "We've seen tonight one of the ugliest episodes of the majority trampling on the rights of voters that I've seen in my entire career in the legislature."

Both of the bills passed the House last week; SB 13 on a 54-51 vote and HB 4724 on a slightly larger 59-46 vote. But only SB 13 heads back to the House, where members would need to approve the Senate change that broke the tie-bar.

House Speaker Kevin Cotter, R-Mt. Pleasant, said Wednesday afternoon that "I'll move it [SB 13] provided support is there" but "there's some pretty deep disagreements" on removing the tie-bar to the absentee voting bill.

Emily Lawler is a Capitol/Business reporter for MLive. You can reach her at elawler@mlive.com, subscribe to her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter: @emilyjanelawler.