The Michigan Board of State Canvassers voted 3-1 in a bipartisan decision to certify petition signatures submitted by Michiganders for Money Out of Politics, clearing the way for a ballot measure that would restrict campaign spending by utilities and major government contractors.
The initiative targets corporations including DTE Energy and Consumers Energy, which have historically contributed to candidates from both major political parties in Michigan. Supporters of the proposal argue it could reduce corporate influence on legislators and potentially encourage more lawmakers to oppose electricity rate increases. Opponents contend that such restrictions would infringe on the free speech rights of company employees.
The Legislature now has 40 days to decide whether to approve the measure directly or allow it to proceed to the November general election ballot. An approval by lawmakers is considered unlikely given existing political divisions in the chamber. If the Legislature does not act within that timeframe, voters will have the opportunity to decide on the proposal.
The certification process involved extensive scrutiny of the 561,282 signatures submitted by the group. An opposition organization called Protect MI Free Speech challenged the validity of numerous signatures, citing errors such as non-existent addresses, deceased individuals, unregistered voters, and duplicate signings. The group argued that Michiganders for Money Out of Politics “gamed the system” by submitting significantly more signatures than the required 356,958 threshold. Supporters of the initiative countered that filing excess signatures represents standard practice in petition circulation.
The canvassers found 645 of 1,000 sampled signatures to be valid, exceeding the state-recommended threshold of 636. The narrow margin prompted the opposition group to indicate it may pursue legal action to prevent the measure from appearing on the ballot. The Board of State Canvassers must still approve a summary of the initiative before it can be included on election materials.
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