Michigan elections officials are finalizing November ballot language today after state and federal courts declined efforts to place the Americans for Citizen Voting Michigan proposal on the ballot.
WKAR Capitol Correspondent Colin Jackson joined WKAR Morning Edition host Melorie Begay to talk about what's next for the campaign and what the deadline means for another petition campaign to get "money out of politics." Plus, with less than two months to go before Election Day what's next after ballots are finalized. Click on the audio player above to listen.
Interview Transcript:
Melorie Begay: With just under two months to go before Election Day, Michigan officials will finalize ballot language today. The deadline comes as both state and federal courts have decided against an effort to get an amendment requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote onto the November ballot.
Here to talk about the court's decision and what's next is WKAR Capitol Correspondent Colin Jackson. Thanks for being here, Colin.
Colin Jackson: Thanks for having me.
Begay: The Americans for Citizen Voting Michigan campaign was looking to both state and federal courts to get the amendment onto the ballot, and that of course failed. So, Colin, what did the courts say?
Jackson: So to backtrack a bit, this case got to the U.S. and Michigan Supreme Courts because a state elections board, the Board of State Canvassers, deadlocked early last week on whether the measure collected enough signatures to get on the ballot.
What the Michigan Supreme Court said was that it didn't have the power to tell the Board of State Canvassers to put it on the ballot because the process the Board of State Canvassers followed had discretion over it.
The U.S. Supreme Court, the Americans for Citizen Voting Michigan campaign, asked Justice Brett Kavanaugh to put this on the ballot. After hearing briefs from both sides, he declined. He just denied the request. There wasn't a broader explanation there.
Begay: How has the campaign responded to this news?
Jackson: The campaign is disappointed. They collected close to 710,000 signatures to get this thing on the ballot, and you know that's far more than what they actually needed to turn in. They thought they had a sizable cushion going into this, expecting a certain chunk of signatures to be found to be invalid for various reasons, like mismatched addresses or mismatched signatures. So, I think this is disappointing for them. At the same time, they have now exhausted all their legal options now.
Begay: So, is this the end of the road for the campaign?
Jackson: Americans for Citizen Voting says they're not finished yet. They're regrouping for 2028. That means they could try circulating signatures again and trying to get on the ballot another time. They could push for lawmakers to put the proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot. That’s a long shot given what the expected makeup of the Michigan legislature is about to be and whether there would be enough Democratic support to get the supermajorities needed for all that. But I think at this point they have to take stock and evaluate all the options they have.
Begay: Now we've also been following another ballot initiative that was before the state supreme court, the Money Out of Politics campaign. Is that something that's now in the clear since ballots will be finalized today?
Jackson: That's what it looks like. There was one challenge left from this group called Protect My Free Speech that was challenging the validity of its signatures and the Board of State Canvassers' decision to put the proposal on the ballot last month. The Supreme Court also ruled against that group, meaning there really aren't any barriers left to the Money Out of Politics campaign from being on the ballot.
Begay: What comes next after today's deadline in terms of ballots getting to voters?
Jackson: So, after this, the Secretary of State's office, the Bureau of Elections, they're going to certify the ballot. You know, finalize everything, and they're going to send those to the local clerks to get printed. And at that point, these things will start being sent out. The deadline to send out ballots is in a couple of weeks. This is a really busy time for elections officials, and they're going to get working to make sure everything gets sent out in time.
Begay: Colin Jackson is WKAR's Capitol Correspondent. Thanks for being here, Colin.
Jackson: Thanks for having me.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
