Proposal 2
On Tuesday, November 8, Michigan voters will be asked to weigh in on numerous federal, state, and local races. As in many election years, citizens will also be asked to vote on a series of statewide ballot proposals seeking to implement policy changes via constitutional amendment.
While ballot proposals are typically listed last on an already lengthy ballot, they often have the largest impact on policy due to their relative permanence. Once an amendment to the Michigan Constitution is approved, any future changes to the language would require a three-fourths majority vote of the legislature. Three-fourths is a difficult threshold to surpass, a fact that should be kept in mind when voting ‘yes’ on any of the proposals – regardless of issue or intent.
To help inform voters, I decided to share the exact text of this year’s three proposals over three columns leading up to Election Day – without any commentary other than what was stated above.
Last week’s column covered Proposal 1 (Term Limits For State Legislators And Financial Disclosure Reports Of State Elected Officials). If you missed that column, or would like to read the House Fiscal Agency’s non-partisan analysis of its potential implications, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/Proposal2022-1.
This week, I was hoping to publish the exact language of Proposal 2 (Promote the Vote) in its entirety as well. Unfortunately, the length of the proposed amendment far exceeded what could fit into a column so I’ve opted to share the official 100 word summary as it appears on the November 2022 ballot instead.
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Proposal 2022-2:
A proposal to amend the state constitution to add provisions regarding elections.
This proposed constitutional amendment would:
- Recognize fundamental right to vote without harassing conduct;
- Require military or overseas ballots be counted if postmarked by election day;
- Provide voter right to verify identity with photo ID or signed statement;
- Provide voter right to single application to vote absentee in all elections;
- Require state-funded absentee-ballot drop boxes, and postage for absentee applications and ballots;
- Provide that only election officials may conduct post-election audits;
- Require nine days of early in-person voting;
- Allow donations to fund elections, which must be disclosed;
- Require canvass boards certify election results based only on the official records of votes cast.
Should this proposal be adopted?
[ ] YES [ ] NO
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As mentioned above, the actual language of Proposal 2 is much longer than the summary you’ll find on the ballot. Those who wish to read its exact verbiage or, better yet, read the House Fiscal Agency’s non-partisan analysis of its contents may visit https://tinyurl.com/Proposal2022-2.
I’ll be back next week with the language for Proposal 3.
