Michigan Board of State Canvassers approves ballot language for money out of politics proposal

An effort to bar certain utilities and government contractors from making political contributions cleared its final major hurdle Monday, finalizing its language for the November ballot.

After members of the Michigan Board of State Canvassers determined that Michiganders for Money Out of Politics had submitted enough valid signatures needed to make the ballot, the board convened once more to finalize the language voters will consider when casting their ballot.

While the board is made up of four members – two Republicans and two Democrats – canvasser Paul Cordes, a Republican, was not present at Monday’s meeting. Board Chair Richard Houskamp, a Republican, Vice Chair Mary Ellen Gurewitz and canvasser Heather Cummings, both Democrats, voted to approve the following ballot language:

“A PROPOSED INITIATED LAW TO PROHIBIT CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FROM CERTAIN REGULATED UTILITIES AND GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS AND APPLY CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS AND REGULATIONS TO ADDITIONAL TYPES OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATIONS 

“The proposal would:  

• Prohibit regulated electric and gas utilities, contractors with over $250,000 annually in government contracts, and people and organizations with substantial connections to these utilities/contractors from making direct or indirect campaign contributions to those who run for or hold offices that impact them.  
• Expand laws regulating spending on political communications, including those requiring disclosing donor information, to apply to communications clearly identifying candidates or ballot questions, even if they do not expressly advocate voting for/against them.  
• Expressly apply the law requiring disclosure of who paid for political communications to internet political communications.”

“We applaud the Board of State Canvassers’ vote today to maintain our initiative’s ballot language that more than half a million Michiganders signed to put before voters,” Christy McGillivray, co-chair of the Michiganders for Money Out of Politics Steering Committee, said in a statement. “Michiganders are ready to finally rein in pay-to-play politics and out-of-control political spending in Lansing this November. Our campaign is continuing to build momentum in every corner of our state and making sure voters turn out to vote yes on this game-changing initiative.”

The Board of State Canvassers determined the effort had gathered enough signatures to make the ballot at its July 24 meeting. After the board approves an initiative’s signatures, the Legislature has 40 days to accept or reject the proposal. If the Legislature does not take up the proposal, it is placed before voters in the general election.

The ballot initiative had been challenged from an opposition group, Protect MI Free Speech. A message seeking comment was left with the group’s spokesperson, John Sellek, but was not returned by the time of publication. This story will be updated when a response is received.