Petitions have been the subject of complaints to the Michigan Attorney General and Secretary of State. A warning has been issued by both offices stating that some of the petitions in circulation right now are advertised as something they are not. Petition circulators are often paid by the signature and have an incentive to garner as many signatures as possible.
Attorney General Dana Nessel, said, “Regardless of what your political stance is, I am urging anyone who is approached by a petitioner to carefully read and make every best effort to understand what you are agreeing to sign. “
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said, “For decades we’ve seen Michigan citizens intentionally deceived about ballot petitions, and particularly our most vulnerable populations. The recent increase in complaints demonstrates it’s high time for the Legislature to act to make it a crime to intentionally mislead a voter into signing a petition.”
There have recently been multiple petition drives aimed at recalling Governor Gretchen Whitmer or changing the executive powers authorized by the legislature. Several early Whitmer recall petitions were rejected by the Board of Canvassers because of the unclear petition language. The Unlock Michigan coalition is currently promoting a petition to repeal the Emergency Powers of Governor Act.
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
