Update: Thursday, May 23, 5:25 p.m.
The future of a ballot-signature law passed last year is unclear. On Wednesday, Attorney General Dana Nessel said that parts of the law that adds requirements to the ballot signature process are unconstitutional. Now Republican lawmakers and others are working on their next steps.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey says he’s waiting to see if Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson actually follows through on the order before deciding what to do.
But the state representative who spearheaded the bill, Jim Lower, R-Greenville, would like to get clarification right away. He says he wants the Speaker of the House to look into a court challenge.
“You know, I’d like to see it, you know, if there’s a legal effort put forward, it’d be nice to have that settled sooner rather than later,” he says.
A group also filed a lawsuit in the Court of Claims saying the law is unconstitutional. They want a court to permanently prevent the Secretary of State’s office from using the law.
Original post: Thursday, May 23, 7:30 a.m.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has issued an opinion that says a law adopted late last year by the Legislature is not constitutional. The law makes it harder for petition campaigns to put political questions directly to voters.
The law was adopted by Republicans in the Legislature before it was signed by then-Governor Rick Snyder.
The opinion from Nessel – a Democrat – says the law violates multiple provisions of the state Constitution.
One of the restrictions requires petition campaigns to gather no more than 15 percent of signatures from any one congressional district. Nessel says that makes it too difficult for people to exercise their rights. She says the law also violates free speech rights.
Michigan allows voters to use petition drives to challenge laws, to adopt laws, and to amend the state Constitution. Republican leaders haven’t revealed their next move, but a legal battle is likely.
