Citizen Initiative Reform
MI Right to Vote
Strengthening Democracy by closing Loopholes in Citizen Initiatives and Ending Dirty Tricks
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What our Michigan Constitutional Ballot Amendment will do:
1. Requires that any initiative of legislation that collects enough signatures to go on the ballot will be placed on the ballot for a direct vote of the people
2. Expands the deadline for the time allowed to gather signatures on initiatives and constitutional amendments, from 180 days to two years.
And extends the deadline for a referendum from 90 days at the end of a term to six months following enactment of the law.
3. Provides that any bill whose subject matter also includes an appropriation is subject to referendum.
- Provides, generally, that no new law covering the same subject matter rejected by the people by referendum shall be enacted except by a vote of the voters.
What are the Three Dirty Tricks that closing the Loopholes in the MI Right to Vote Citizen Initiatives will stop:
Dirty Trick One:
Using the Loophole to bypass the Governor’s desk and the voters with no intention of going on the ballot to pass unpopular laws through the legislature.
Groups like Secure MI Vote have gathered signatures for a ballot proposal that is not intended to go on the ballot to allow a vote of the people.
A Michigan Board of Canvasser member said as much at the time Secure MI Vote’s petition was being reviewed.
Currently, the Michigan constitution permits voters to propose legislation to go on the ballot if the petition receives signatures from 8% of the people.
That doesn’t mean all petitions will go on the ballot.
Michigan has a loophole that permits the legislature to accept a statutory petition that meets the signature requirements and make it law without it going on the ballot or to the Governor for a potential veto.
That means any group that gathers enough signatures for any good, bad or crazy proposal that it can think up can have it enacted if a willing legislature takes it up and passes it with a simple majority.
Groups or people who want to pass laws that are unpopular and that would never receive support from a majority of Michigan voters or that have previously been vetoed by the Governor, use the Loophole to gather enough signatures to then be taken up and passed by the legislature.
Groups like Secure MI Vote have gathered signatures to change Michigan law AND WEAKEN DEMOCRACY BY MAKING it harder for Michigan Voters to exercise their right to vote.
Most of what Secure MI Vote is proposing has already been taken up by the legislature and vetoed by the Governor. SECURE MI VOTE IS now trying to use the Loophole to get around the Governor by getting 8% OF THE VOTERS to sign Secure MI Vote’s ballot proposal so the legislature ALONE can pass it.
These dirty trick ballot initiatives will NEVER GO TO the ballot for a popular vote.
That’s why the system is Broken and Wrong and it’s why MI Right to Vote intends to fix it at the ballot with your help.
Dirty Trick Two:
The Michigan constitution permits the legislature to add an appropriation to a bill to make it referendum-proof.
This means voters are prohibited from collecting signatures to try to stop the law from going into effect.
In 2012, pursuant to a referendum, the voters rejected an emergency manager law that the legislature and Governor enacted. The legislature and Governor simply turned around and slapped an appropriation on a new emergency manager law that was very similar to the original law that the voters had just rejected.
Because there was an appropriation attached, voters could not initiate a referendum. Use of this Loophole eventually led to the events that created the Flint Water Crisis. See the Mlive Article from 2012:
Dirty Trick Three:
Michigan’s constitution permits the legislature to accept proposed legislation that meets the signature requirement with the sole purpose of then passing a new law which significantly waters down the law proposed by the people.
The minimum wage ballot proposal was to pay a minimum wage of $12 by 2022 and received enough signatures to go on the ballot.
But the legislature accepted it and then passed legislation lowering the proposed minimum wage to $12.05 by 2030, EIGHT YEARS LATER!
See a Summary of what happened in Ballotpedia:
Our MI Right to Vote constitutional amendment will stop these dirty tricks once and for all. Under our amendment, if a ballot proposal collects enough signatures to go on the ballot, IT WILL THEN GO ON THE BALLOT FOR A VOTE BY THE PEOPLE.
Under our amendment, if a ballot proposal is passed by the voters, IT CAN THEN ONLY BE AMENDED BY THE VOTERS.