Michigan Board Of Elections Rejects Abortion Rights Initiative

The two Democrats on the State Canvassers board voted in favor, but at least three votes of the four-member board are needed to get the measure on the ballot. The Reproductive Freedom for All Campaign, which gathered signatures to put the measure on the ballot, is expected to appeal to the Democratic-leaning Michigan Supreme Court in the coming days and expressed confidence it would prevail. Abortion rights have become a strong motivator for voters since Roe was overturned. In conservative Kansas, voters overwhelmingly defeated a ballot measure that would have allowed the Republican-controlled Legislature to tighten restrictions or ban the procedure altogether, and the issue has swayed votes in special congressional elections, including in the battleground state. in upstate New York. Nationally, Democrats have seen an increase in fundraising since the Supreme Court decision. The proposed constitutional amendment aims to overturn a 91-year-old state law that would have banned abortion in all cases except to save the mother’s life. The meeting attracted hundreds of people, who packed the hearing room and overflow rooms for a chance to comment. Opponents of abortion also demonstrated outside. Michigan’s 1931 law — which abortion opponents had hoped would be activated by a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade in June — remains blocked after months of court battles. A state judge ruled Aug. 19 that Republican county attorneys could not enforce the ban, saying it was “in the public interest to let the people of the great state of Michigan decide this matter at the ballot box.” Darci McConnell, spokeswoman for Reproductive Freedom for All, the group supporting the measure, said she remains confident. “We had more than 730,000 people read, sign and understand what they were signing. The board had to do one thing today and confirm that we had the signatures, their own office said we did. So we remain optimistic that we will be on the ballot in November,” McConnell said. Supporters of another initiative that didn’t make it to the ballot Wednesday — a measure to expand voting, including adding ballots — are also expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. The teams have seven working days to appeal and the vote must be finalized by September 9. Having abortion rights on the ballot in November would almost certainly be a boon for Democrats in Michigan, a state where voters will also decide whether Democrats retain control of statewide offices, including governor and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other Democrats have put abortion rights front and center in their campaigns, and after Republicans chose businesswoman Tudor Dixon as the GOP candidate for governor, Democrats ran an ad blasting her strong opposition to abortion, including cases of rape and incest. . Abortion opponents protested noisily outside as the meeting began Wednesday. Their muffled voices could be heard inside the hearing room, and the Republican board chairman at one point asked security to tell them to stop banging on the windows. During the public comment period, Dr. Jessica Frost, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Lansing, told the board “we need to restore the reproductive protections that were lost when Roe was overturned.” Opponents said the ballot language was confusing. Several called abortion immoral and warned board members not to approve. “I can’t imagine a more important decision you’ll ever have to make in your life, because I know you and I will kneel before Christ someday and answer for the decision you make today,” said Billy Putman. The Board of Elections verified last Thursday that the abortion ballot initiative petition contained enough valid signatures for the amendment to qualify for the ballot and recommended that the state Board of Canvassers approve the measure. On Wednesday, Mary Ellen Gurewitz, a Democratic researcher, said the board “did not have the authority to reject this petition because of challenges to the content of the petition.” But Tony Dowd, a Republican researcher, said the errors in some language in the report were “stunning.” The Michigan Board of Canvassers, made up of two Republicans and two Democrats, has become increasingly partisan in recent years. The board made national headlines after the 2020 presidential election when one member, who has since resigned, abstained from voting to certify Joe Biden’s victory in the state. The other GOP board member, who voted for certification, was not nominated again by the state GOP party and was replaced by Tony Daunt, the board’s chairman. Earlier this year, two leading candidates for the GOP gubernatorial nomination withdrew from the primary ballot after the board deadlocked along party lines over whether too many fraudulent signatures on their nomination papers made them ineligible. A tie meant the candidates lost. The board also voted Wednesday not to place another statewide ballot expansion initiative on the fall ballot, although the committee supporting the measure is expected to appeal the decision to the Michigan Supreme Court. The measure would expand voter rights by allowing nine days of in-person early voting, state-funded mail-in ballots and polls in every community. The four-member board split 2-2, with Democrats voting to certify the ballot initiative and Republicans opposing certification, saying some of its language is unclear.

Burnett contributed from Chicago.

Joey Cappelletti is a member of the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative corps. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places reporters in local newsrooms to report on undercover issues.

title: “Michigan Board Of Elections Rejects Abortion Rights Initiative Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-05” author: “Barbara Gates”

The two Democrats on the State Canvassers board voted in favor, but at least three votes of the four-member board are needed to get the measure on the ballot. The Reproductive Freedom for All Campaign, which gathered signatures to put the measure on the ballot, is expected to appeal to the Democratic-leaning Michigan Supreme Court in the coming days and expressed confidence it would prevail. Abortion rights have become a strong motivator for voters since Roe was overturned. In conservative Kansas, voters overwhelmingly defeated a ballot measure that would have allowed the Republican-controlled Legislature to tighten restrictions or ban the procedure altogether, and the issue has swayed votes in special congressional elections, including in the battleground state. in upstate New York. Nationally, Democrats have seen an increase in fundraising since the Supreme Court decision. The proposed constitutional amendment aims to overturn a 91-year-old state law that would have banned abortion in all cases except to save the mother’s life. The meeting attracted hundreds of people, who packed the hearing room and overflow rooms for a chance to comment. Opponents of abortion also demonstrated outside. Michigan’s 1931 law — which abortion opponents had hoped would be activated by a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade in June — remains blocked after months of court battles. A state judge ruled Aug. 19 that Republican county attorneys could not enforce the ban, saying it was “in the public interest to let the people of the great state of Michigan decide this matter at the ballot box.” Darci McConnell, spokeswoman for Reproductive Freedom for All, the group supporting the measure, said she remains confident. “We had more than 730,000 people read, sign and understand what they were signing. The board had to do one thing today and confirm that we had the signatures, their own office said we did. So we remain optimistic that we will be on the ballot in November,” McConnell said. Supporters of another initiative that didn’t make it to the ballot Wednesday — a measure to expand voting, including adding ballots — are also expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. The teams have seven working days to appeal and the vote must be finalized by September 9. Having abortion rights on the ballot in November would almost certainly be a boon for Democrats in Michigan, a state where voters will also decide whether Democrats retain control of statewide offices, including governor and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other Democrats have put abortion rights front and center in their campaigns, and after Republicans chose businesswoman Tudor Dixon as the GOP candidate for governor, Democrats ran an ad blasting her strong opposition to abortion, including cases of rape and incest. . Abortion opponents protested noisily outside as the meeting began Wednesday. Their muffled voices could be heard inside the hearing room, and the Republican board chairman at one point asked security to tell them to stop banging on the windows. During the public comment period, Dr. Jessica Frost, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Lansing, told the board “we need to restore the reproductive protections that were lost when Roe was overturned.” Opponents said the ballot language was confusing. Several called abortion immoral and warned board members not to approve. “I can’t imagine a more important decision you’ll ever have to make in your life, because I know you and I will kneel before Christ someday and answer for the decision you make today,” said Billy Putman. The Board of Elections verified last Thursday that the abortion ballot initiative petition contained enough valid signatures for the amendment to qualify for the ballot and recommended that the state Board of Canvassers approve the measure. On Wednesday, Mary Ellen Gurewitz, a Democratic researcher, said the board “did not have the authority to reject this petition because of challenges to the content of the petition.” But Tony Dowd, a Republican researcher, said the errors in some language in the report were “stunning.” The Michigan Board of Canvassers, made up of two Republicans and two Democrats, has become increasingly partisan in recent years. The board made national headlines after the 2020 presidential election when one member, who has since resigned, abstained from voting to certify Joe Biden’s victory in the state. The other GOP board member, who voted for certification, was not nominated again by the state GOP party and was replaced by Tony Daunt, the board’s chairman. Earlier this year, two leading candidates for the GOP gubernatorial nomination withdrew from the primary ballot after the board deadlocked along party lines over whether too many fraudulent signatures on their nomination papers made them ineligible. A tie meant the candidates lost. The board also voted Wednesday not to place another statewide ballot expansion initiative on the fall ballot, although the committee supporting the measure is expected to appeal the decision to the Michigan Supreme Court. The measure would expand voter rights by allowing nine days of in-person early voting, state-funded mail-in ballots and polls in every community. The four-member board split 2-2, with Democrats voting to certify the ballot initiative and Republicans opposing certification, saying some of its language is unclear.

Burnett contributed from Chicago.

Joey Cappelletti is a member of the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative corps. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places reporters in local newsrooms to report on undercover issues.

title: “Michigan Board Of Elections Rejects Abortion Rights Initiative Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-28” author: “Lorita Wilson”

The two Democrats on the State Canvassers board voted in favor, but at least three votes of the four-member board are needed to get the measure on the ballot. The Reproductive Freedom for All Campaign, which gathered signatures to put the measure on the ballot, is expected to appeal to the Democratic-leaning Michigan Supreme Court in the coming days and expressed confidence it would prevail. Abortion rights have become a strong motivator for voters since Roe was overturned. In conservative Kansas, voters overwhelmingly defeated a ballot measure that would have allowed the Republican-controlled Legislature to tighten restrictions or ban the procedure altogether, and the issue has swayed votes in special congressional elections, including in the battleground state. in upstate New York. Nationally, Democrats have seen an increase in fundraising since the Supreme Court decision. The proposed constitutional amendment aims to overturn a 91-year-old state law that would have banned abortion in all cases except to save the mother’s life. The meeting attracted hundreds of people, who packed the hearing room and overflow rooms for a chance to comment. Opponents of abortion also demonstrated outside. Michigan’s 1931 law — which abortion opponents had hoped would be activated by a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade in June — remains blocked after months of court battles. A state judge ruled Aug. 19 that Republican county attorneys could not enforce the ban, saying it was “in the public interest to let the people of the great state of Michigan decide this matter at the ballot box.” Darci McConnell, spokeswoman for Reproductive Freedom for All, the group supporting the measure, said she remains confident. “We had more than 730,000 people read, sign and understand what they were signing. The board had to do one thing today and confirm that we had the signatures, their own office said we did. So we remain optimistic that we will be on the ballot in November,” McConnell said. Supporters of another initiative that didn’t make it to the ballot Wednesday — a measure to expand voting, including adding ballots — are also expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. The teams have seven working days to appeal and the vote must be finalized by September 9. Having abortion rights on the ballot in November would almost certainly be a boon for Democrats in Michigan, a state where voters will also decide whether Democrats retain control of statewide offices, including governor and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other Democrats have put abortion rights front and center in their campaigns, and after Republicans chose businesswoman Tudor Dixon as the GOP candidate for governor, Democrats ran an ad blasting her strong opposition to abortion, including cases of rape and incest. . Abortion opponents protested noisily outside as the meeting began Wednesday. Their muffled voices could be heard inside the hearing room, and the Republican board chairman at one point asked security to tell them to stop banging on the windows. During the public comment period, Dr. Jessica Frost, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Lansing, told the board “we need to restore the reproductive protections that were lost when Roe was overturned.” Opponents said the ballot language was confusing. Several called abortion immoral and warned board members not to approve. “I can’t imagine a more important decision you’ll ever have to make in your life, because I know you and I will kneel before Christ someday and answer for the decision you make today,” said Billy Putman. The Board of Elections verified last Thursday that the abortion ballot initiative petition contained enough valid signatures for the amendment to qualify for the ballot and recommended that the state Board of Canvassers approve the measure. On Wednesday, Mary Ellen Gurewitz, a Democratic researcher, said the board “did not have the authority to reject this petition because of challenges to the content of the petition.” But Tony Dowd, a Republican researcher, said the errors in some language in the report were “stunning.” The Michigan Board of Canvassers, made up of two Republicans and two Democrats, has become increasingly partisan in recent years. The board made national headlines after the 2020 presidential election when one member, who has since resigned, abstained from voting to certify Joe Biden’s victory in the state. The other GOP board member, who voted for certification, was not nominated again by the state GOP party and was replaced by Tony Daunt, the board’s chairman. Earlier this year, two leading candidates for the GOP gubernatorial nomination withdrew from the primary ballot after the board deadlocked along party lines over whether too many fraudulent signatures on their nomination papers made them ineligible. A tie meant the candidates lost. The board also voted Wednesday not to place another statewide ballot expansion initiative on the fall ballot, although the committee supporting the measure is expected to appeal the decision to the Michigan Supreme Court. The measure would expand voter rights by allowing nine days of in-person early voting, state-funded mail-in ballots and polls in every community. The four-member board split 2-2, with Democrats voting to certify the ballot initiative and Republicans opposing certification, saying some of its language is unclear.

Burnett contributed from Chicago.

Joey Cappelletti is a member of the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative corps. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places reporters in local newsrooms to report on undercover issues.

title: “Michigan Board Of Elections Rejects Abortion Rights Initiative Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-29” author: “Jordan Moskowitz”

The two Democrats on the State Canvassers board voted in favor, but at least three votes of the four-member board are needed to get the measure on the ballot. The Reproductive Freedom for All Campaign, which gathered signatures to put the measure on the ballot, is expected to appeal to the Democratic-leaning Michigan Supreme Court in the coming days and expressed confidence it would prevail. Abortion rights have become a strong motivator for voters since Roe was overturned. In conservative Kansas, voters overwhelmingly defeated a ballot measure that would have allowed the Republican-controlled Legislature to tighten restrictions or ban the procedure altogether, and the issue has swayed votes in special congressional elections, including in the battleground state. in upstate New York. Nationally, Democrats have seen an increase in fundraising since the Supreme Court decision. The proposed constitutional amendment aims to overturn a 91-year-old state law that would have banned abortion in all cases except to save the mother’s life. The meeting attracted hundreds of people, who packed the hearing room and overflow rooms for a chance to comment. Opponents of abortion also demonstrated outside. Michigan’s 1931 law — which abortion opponents had hoped would be activated by a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade in June — remains blocked after months of court battles. A state judge ruled Aug. 19 that Republican county attorneys could not enforce the ban, saying it was “in the public interest to let the people of the great state of Michigan decide this matter at the ballot box.” Darci McConnell, spokeswoman for Reproductive Freedom for All, the group supporting the measure, said she remains confident. “We had more than 730,000 people read, sign and understand what they were signing. The board had to do one thing today and confirm that we had the signatures, their own office said we did. So we remain optimistic that we will be on the ballot in November,” McConnell said. Supporters of another initiative that didn’t make it to the ballot Wednesday — a measure to expand voting, including adding ballots — are also expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. The teams have seven working days to appeal and the vote must be finalized by September 9. Having abortion rights on the ballot in November would almost certainly be a boon for Democrats in Michigan, a state where voters will also decide whether Democrats retain control of statewide offices, including governor and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other Democrats have put abortion rights front and center in their campaigns, and after Republicans chose businesswoman Tudor Dixon as the GOP candidate for governor, Democrats ran an ad blasting her strong opposition to abortion, including cases of rape and incest. . Abortion opponents protested noisily outside as the meeting began Wednesday. Their muffled voices could be heard inside the hearing room, and the Republican board chairman at one point asked security to tell them to stop banging on the windows. During the public comment period, Dr. Jessica Frost, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Lansing, told the board “we need to restore the reproductive protections that were lost when Roe was overturned.” Opponents said the ballot language was confusing. Several called abortion immoral and warned board members not to approve. “I can’t imagine a more important decision you’ll ever have to make in your life, because I know you and I will kneel before Christ someday and answer for the decision you make today,” said Billy Putman. The Board of Elections verified last Thursday that the abortion ballot initiative petition contained enough valid signatures for the amendment to qualify for the ballot and recommended that the state Board of Canvassers approve the measure. On Wednesday, Mary Ellen Gurewitz, a Democratic researcher, said the board “did not have the authority to reject this petition because of challenges to the content of the petition.” But Tony Dowd, a Republican researcher, said the errors in some language in the report were “stunning.” The Michigan Board of Canvassers, made up of two Republicans and two Democrats, has become increasingly partisan in recent years. The board made national headlines after the 2020 presidential election when one member, who has since resigned, abstained from voting to certify Joe Biden’s victory in the state. The other GOP board member, who voted for certification, was not nominated again by the state GOP party and was replaced by Tony Daunt, the board’s chairman. Earlier this year, two leading candidates for the GOP gubernatorial nomination withdrew from the primary ballot after the board deadlocked along party lines over whether too many fraudulent signatures on their nomination papers made them ineligible. A tie meant the candidates lost. The board also voted Wednesday not to place another statewide ballot expansion initiative on the fall ballot, although the committee supporting the measure is expected to appeal the decision to the Michigan Supreme Court. The measure would expand voter rights by allowing nine days of in-person early voting, state-funded mail-in ballots and polls in every community. The four-member board split 2-2, with Democrats voting to certify the ballot initiative and Republicans opposing certification, saying some of its language is unclear.

Burnett contributed from Chicago.

Joey Cappelletti is a member of the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative corps. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places reporters in local newsrooms to report on undercover issues.