Two of the bills would have required voters to prove U.S. citizenship in order to vote and provide photo identification to receive an absentee ballot. The third would have required training for those who wished to volunteer for voter registration.

Although these bills were sponsored by Michigan Republicans, Snyder voted of his own volition, placing his beliefs above his party’s desires. With these vetoes, many Michigan Democrats now believe the Republican governor is much more of a “tough nerd” than they once thought.

It is encouraging to see Snyder was able to make his own decision rather than voting along party lines. With Washington more polarized than ever before and many members of the U.S. Congress only relying on the preferences of their party rather than making their own decisions, Snyder’s decision to veto these bills shows he can act independently of Michigan Republicans.

Although his party is disappointed in his decision, he showed through his actions that he is still in charge of Michigan.

The provisions these vetoed bills would have set in place would have discouraged many voters from going to the polls on election day.

Voter turnout might be increasing overall in the U.S., but it is still fairly low. Adding more stipulations in order to get absentee ballots or to go to the polls would most likely increase voter apathy, decreasing voter turnout.

Making the election process more complicated will only confuse voters instead of encouraging them to vote on election days.

The bill that would have required training for those who wish to get involved in registering voters also would have discouraged some from wanting to get involved in the election process.

The secretary of state should make cooperating with voter registration groups a priority, but excessive training only would deter voter registration efforts.

A petition signed by 2,800 Michigan citizens was also sent to Snyder, encouraging him to veto these three bills. Many believed these stipulations would only make voting more difficult for Michiganians. It is difficult to determine whether or not the petition helped to sway Snyder’s decision, but seeing so many people passionate about the downfall of these provisions shows Michigan citizens still care about their voting rights and do not want the voting process to become more flustering.

It is commendable Snyder made his own decision on these bills rather than relying only on the wishes of his party. If he would have signed these into law, Michigan voter apathy most likely would have increased, impeding many from being able to get involved in the election process.