A lame duck bill addressing the selection process for the state’s newly adopted citizens redistricting commission has the initiative’s backers crying foul. The proposal by Republican Sen. Phil Pavlov of St. Clair details rules and procedures for the selection of the commission, items already outlined in the Proposal 2’s language and, to some degree, left up to the discretion of incoming Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. Another set of bills introduced by GOP Sen. Mike Kowall of White Lake the same day clarify some rules surrounding items approved in Proposal 3, such as same day voter registration and no-reason absentee voting.
The bills arrived on the Senate floor amid furor over other GOP-introduced proposed changes to Proposal 1, which legalized recreational marijuana, and changes to petition-driven initiatives dealing with minimum wage and paid sick leave.
The GOP Senate majority maintains the bills addressing the redistricting commission and voters rights are “enabling legislation” that clarify new responsibilities for Benson, a Democrat who takes office Jan. 1.
But the ballot committee that spearheaded the ballot initiative, Voters Not Politicians, argued the bill would “interfere with the voice of Michigan voters” who supported the initiative in November.
Full Article: Redistricting backers worried bill would alter voter-approved plan.