LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan lawmakers are pushing to require that all signatures for a statewide ballot initiative be collected within a six-month period.
The move could stymie pro-marijuana and anti-fracking activists from potentially receiving more time thanks to improved technology.
Legislation approved along party lines by the Republican-controlled Senate would mandate that a voter signature for a constitutional amendment or initiated bill not count if it’s written more than 180 days before the petition is filed. The bill is pending in the House.
The law currently lets organizers refute a presumption that a signature older than 180 days is void or stale, but the process is difficult.
State election officials have been considering whether to let ballot drives more easily prove that older signatures are valid by using a digital voter registration database.
