Michigan voters likely won’t see statewide proposals on the ballot in November • Michigan Advance

Monday was the Deadline for submitting applications for the drafting of constitutional amendments by citizens’ initiatives for the parliamentary elections in November, and none of the eight individual proposals made it across the finish line.

The Michigan Secretary of State’s office confirmed for the Michigan advance that the July 8 deadline passed without a signed petition being received, meaning that such a proposal or referendum could only appear on the November ballot if the Democratic-led state legislature did so by the Sept. 6 deadline. But that is unlikely, given the Democrats’ slim majority in both chambers and a two-thirds majority would be needed.

If that happens, this November would be the first even-year election since 2016 in which Michigan voters would not decide on a statewide petition, unlike years like 2018, when Proposal 1 legalized marijuana and 2022, if Proposal 3 Enshrining abortion rights in Michigan’s Constitution.

Perhaps the biggest effort made to get on the ballot this year was Axewhich sought to eliminate all property taxes by amending the Michigan State Constitution, prohibiting property taxes and alternative methods of taxing real or personal property, requiring 60% voter approval for local taxes, and requiring a two-thirds majority in the legislature to increase state taxes by more than 0.1%.

Organizer Karla Wagner posted on social media On Tuesday, the desired 600,000 signatures were not obtained, although only 446,198 valid signatures were actually needed. Nevertheless, Wagner blamed the State Board of Canvassers for hindering his efforts.

“We haven’t decided yet whether or not to approach the board again, because they were the ones who put us off for so long last time,” she said. “Instead of the 180 days we were supposed to get, we ended up collecting signatures for only about 135 days. We knew that 600,000 signatures in 135 days was a huge challenge, especially when you’re starting from scratch.”

After the group first submitted its petition last October, it and the state board discussed the wording of the summary at length in several meetings, raising concerns about whether the petition adequately informed voters about the impacts of eliminating the property tax, including cutting billions of dollars in funding for public schools.

Although the language is not approved until the election officials meeting on 19 JanuaryDiscussions about the form of the petition continued until the group decided to move forward without prior approval as the clock ticked toward Monday’s deadline.

Wagner said they plan to regroup and try to get the petition on the 2026 ballot, but she added that certain wording in the current petition meant they would have to start over and none of the signatures already collected would be valid.

“We have to start collecting signatures all over again. Good news and bad news,” Wagner said. “The good news is that we’ve already done all the work with the lawyer, so there’s very little additional legal costs.”

Other voting proposals whose deadlines were not met included:

Citizens for local elections attempted to reverse an amendment to the law to reduce waste through clean and renewable energy. Entered into force at the end of last year, The law gives the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) the authority to approve large-scale solar, wind and battery storage projects.

Michigan Referendums Petition 2 wanted to “repeal Law No. 38 of 2023, which creates the Law on Protection against Extreme Risks.” The laws known as “Red Flag” laws were come into force in May 2023 by Whitmer and established a system under which a court can be asked to issue an order prohibiting a person from “purchasing or possessing a firearm” if that person is considered a danger to himself or others.

Michigan Initiatives for Action attempted to initiate a legislative initiative to amend the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) to include the executive and legislative branches. Although the petition failed, The state Senate finally passed The long overdue legislation provided for the change shortly before the adjournment for the summer recess.

Michigan Judicial Advocacy wanted to reinstate a good time credit program that allows prisoners to earn good time credits that reduce their sentences. Legislation that does the same, was brought to a standstill since its introduction in early 2023, prompting criminal justice reform advocates to Rally last month and call on the Democrats in the majority opinion to take action.

Petitions for wage increases in Michigan would have increased Raise Michigan’s minimum wage to $15 by 2027. However, he was denied the opportunity to get on the ballot when the State Election Committee deadlocked in a dispute over the wording of the petitionand the Supreme Court of Michigan issued an order in June refuses to intervene.

Two efforts that never got off the ground included the Michigan Agricultural Land Conservation Actwhich would have prohibited Utility-scale solar systems on land intended for agricultural useand a to plan upset New date for the presidential primaries in Michiganwhich was postponed from the second Tuesday in March to the fourth Tuesday in February.

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