Michigan voters approve utility spending ban, prompting First Amendment lawsuit

Michigan voters approved Proposal 2, known as the Money Out of Politics initiative, with 81.14 percent of the vote on Tuesday. The measure bans state-regulated electric and gas utilities and companies with large government contracts from making direct or indirect political contributions to candidates for state or local offices within their jurisdictions.

The initiative, which passed after the state Senate sent it to the ballot, also expands campaign finance disclosure requirements for political advertising. DTE and Consumers Energy are the largest utilities affected, and the rule applies to corporations with local or state government contracts exceeding $250,000 annually.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan on election night, challenging the new provisions as unconstitutional under the First Amendment. The center argues the law imposes undue regulations on free speech and privacy by requiring government registration for political speech.

Read the full story at wyomingnewsnow.tv.