FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
February 8, 2021
Contact: Sam Inglot, 616-916-0574, sam@progressmichigan.org
Progressive Groups Challenge Petition Restrictions
MICHIGAN – Progressive group Progress Michigan, along with the League of Women Voters Michigan and Michiganders for Fair and Transparent Elections, filed a complaint on Monday challenging unconstitutional restrictions on signature gathering for petition drives.
“Michigan voters have a Constitutional right to enact policy changes at the ballot box, and these unnecessary restrictions on that are nothing more than an attempt to disenfranchise voters,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan. “Placing these arbitrary limits on signature collection only serves to exclude voters who wish to participate in our democracy and make it harder for the people of Michigan to make their voices heard. We hope the Court will rule in favor of democracy and overturn these unconstitutional restrictions.”
“In 2019, Michiganders for Fair & Transparent Elections drafted a ballot measure to require disclosure for election finances and communications in Michigan,” reports Henry Mayers, president of the non-profit, registered ballot committee. “Our next step is to gather signatures of support from the public. While the Michigan Attorney General has ruled PA 608’s circulation rules unconstitutional, PA 608, in its entirety, remains on the books. We fully anticipate that opponents to election disclosure will challenge the certification of our signatures in court as non-compliant with PA 608. We need the court to rule on the constitutionality of PA 608 before we expend the resources to mount our signature campaign to put the foundational goal of election disclosure before Michigan’s voters.”
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