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Michigan State Universitys Board of Trustees removed a resolution from the agenda of its Friday morning meeting that would have called on companies doing business with the university to oppose the Republican-led Secure MI Vote ballot initiative.

It is understood that companies make political contributions for their own business reasons, including entities that are recipients of contracts with Michigan State University, the resolution read, in part. However, at times these contributions go to elected officials who supported voter suppression bills in 2021 and are poised to pass the Secure MI Vote initiative after the petition is certified. Therefore, these corporations are supporting voter suppression efforts, even if unintentionally.

It went on to call on the universitys politically active vendors take concrete steps to defeat the efforts to undermine our democracy.

Secure MI Vote would amend the state constitution to require a photo ID for in-person voting, eliminating the option for those without a photo ID to sign an affidavit confirming their identity. It would also require a photo ID or partial Social Security number for absentee ballot applications and bar officials from giving an absentee ballot to anyone who did not request one.

Republican Trustee Melanie Foster said the Board resolution, which was on the agenda prior to the meeting Friday morning, wasnt taken up because the Boards three Republican members didnt support it.

Board Chair Dianne Byrum, a Democrat, said in a statement that the resolution was pulled because we didnt want this to become a partisan issue.

Removing the resolution today does not take away for even a second our passion and support for equal access to the ballot by all citizens, particularly our students, and Black, Brown and working-class individuals and families, she said.

Democrats have a 5-3 majority on the Board.

Several other trustees did not respond to interview requests but brought up the issue in their remarks at the close of the meeting.

Trustee Brianna Scott said it was distressing to me that we werent able to move forward.

She made reference to a column by Nolan Finley of the Detroit News, in which he quoted Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, a Clarklake Republican, saying the resolution will cause us to immediately reevaluate the legitimacy of this university and its Board of Trustees and adding that, this is why public universities should be defunded.

Scott, a Democrat, said it was very discouraging to me that people believe its okay to withhold funding for a university based on their political views maybe being threatened and cant see outside of their own political beliefs for the greater good of a university.

I think that it is right for us to discourage people from purposefully doing anything to impede the ability of Black and brown voters to vote, she added, which is their constitutional right.

Editors note: An earlier version of this story misattributed a statement by MSU Trustee Melanie Foster.

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MSU drops resolution asking vendors to oppose Republican-led Secure MI Vote ballot initiative - MLive.com