Americans for Citizen voting group presents concerns over ballot initiative process

Americans for Citizen Voting (ACV) presented its concerns about the state ballot initiation approval process to the state House on Monday. The Select House Committee met for the second time and heard testimony from ACV. Chairman Paul Jacob highlighted issues of transparency and deadlines.

Jacob said ACV turned in over 700,000 signatures ahead of the April deadline but did not receive a staff report until August 17. He urged clearer rules and more time to help the process. The Michigan Bureau of Elections confirmed that a 1,000‑vote sample determined not enough would be valid to qualify the measure for the ballot, and that more than 440,000 valid signatures are required.

The ACV campaign seeks a constitutional amendment requiring citizenship verification for all voters. The committee, chaired by Rep. Mike Harris, aims to streamline the process. The Department of State spokesperson Angela Benander and BOE Director Jonathan Brater noted that certification of petitions follows a specific order.

Read the full story at wemu.org.