Michigan Ballot Question on Campaign Finance Language Finalized
The language of a Michigan ballot question regarding campaign finance has been officially approved. The Michiganders for Money Out of Politics measure, which aims to restrict political donations from certain utilities and state contractors, received its finalized wording during a state elections board meeting on Monday.
Supporters and opponents of the ballot measure engaged in debates during the meeting over how the summary language presented to voters should be crafted. Lawyer Gary Gordon, representing Protect MI Free Speech, a group against the measure, argued for a more general description of the proposal without specifically mentioning utilities’ political contributions.
Gordon expressed his concerns, stating, “I think focusing on that is the sexy part of the statute and that’s going to attract people and their attention, and I think that creates bias in favor of the proposal.”
On the other hand, supporters of the measure pushed for language that closely resembled the wording of the petition signed by voters. The final version of the ballot question expanded the examples to include specific government contractors.
Christy McGillivray, campaign steering committee co-chair, expressed satisfaction with the board’s decision, saying, “All the Michiganders that worked so hard to get this on the ballot are going to recognize exactly what they worked to get so many people signed up for. We are ready to finally rein in the pay-to-play politics and the out-of-control political spending in Lansing this November.”
If state lawmakers do not decide to enact the measure into law themselves, the question will be presented to voters in November.
