Michigan House Passes 180-Day Signature Limit, Impacting Marijuana, Anti-Fracking Petitions

[Purveyor]

By Emily Lawler | [e-mail]
on May 18, 2016 at 3:41 PM, updated May 18, 2016 at 3:45 PM

LANSING, MI -- Groups aiming to get a question on Michigan ballots would have a strict 180 days to gather signatures under legislation passed by the House of Representatives along mostly partisan lines Wednesday.

Ballot proposals in Michigan have historically submitted signatures collected within a 180-day circulation period. But that time period isn't set in stone; there is a laborious procedure where groups can prove a signature older than 180 days is from a registered voter and is still valid.

That "rebuttal" procedure was established in the 1980s, but has gone largely unused. In the 1990s Michigan digitized its Qualified Voter File, letting people access an electronic database.

Two current ballot campaigns -- one advocating for legalized recreational marijuana and one against hydraulic fracturing in Michigan -- have asked that the procedure be changed. Instead of the current, laborious process of getting affidavits from local clerks they could use the Qualified Voter File to more quickly prove a person was registered to vote and qualified to sign the petition.

The Board of State canvassers recently deadlocked on revising the rebuttal procedure.

MORE...

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/05/houses_passes_180-day_signatur.html#incart_river_home

[Shadowflash]

1. And if that STILL doesn't work,

And the law DOES get repealed by popular vote by the citizens of the state, The GOP legislature and governor will just pass another one that includes some financial appropriation language, so it cannot be repealed by popular vote. Just like they did the 'Emergency Manager' law.

Fucking crooks. It's a no win situation.

[Purveyor]

2. Yep, that is how they operate... Hopefully we can take one chamber

back in 2016 but I'm doubtful.