Michigan state Sen. Dianne Byrum, D-Onondaga, announced the formation of the Michigan Task Force on Election Reform on Friday.

The task force is intended to examine issues with the election process within Michigan and possible improvements.

The group will be bipartisan and will hear testimony both from the voting public and experts on voting. The group plans to hold a number of hearings beginning this week and continuing through the summer. The first scheduled hearing is this Thursday at the Second Baptist Church in Detroit.

“This is a group of people who are committed to a voting system that is accurate and accessible,” Byrum said in a written statement. “We have a responsibility to make sure our state’s election system is the best available and that we avoid the problems experienced elsewhere in the last election.”

Also participating in the task force are city and county clerks from Flint, Ypsilanti, Saginaw and Ingham County.

After all the hearings have been completed, the task force plans to release a report with its findings and recommendations.

Senator requests more time for special education rules

State Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, announced Thursday he plans to introduce a resolution to the Michigan Department of Education to give state educators and parents more time to discuss and comment on a set of special education rules slated for the state.

Peters hopes to expand the comment deadline that ends today.

The senator said the proposed changes, which are contained in a more than 100-page report published by the Michigan Department of Education, are too important to limit to a brief comment window for concerned citizens. The report was released in March.