709,841 SIGNATURES.
That’s how many signatures Americans for Citizen Voting–Michigan submitted in March in support of putting the Citizens Only Voting constitutional amendment before Michigan voters this November.
The proposal would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, strengthen voter identification requirements, & require review of Michigan’s voter file.
Michigan required 446,198 valid signatures. They submitted 709,841.
So how did more than 700,000 submitted signatures turn into a ballot proposal being blocked over THREE sampled signatures?
Here’s what happened:
Instead of individually reviewing more than 700,000 signatures, Michigan uses a statistical sampling process. The Bureau of Elections examined a random sample of 1,000 signatures.
For the petition to qualify under that methodology, 629 of those 1,000 needed to be valid.
The Bureau’s initial review determined that only 612 were valid, which statistically projected to approximately 434,423 valid signatures statewide- 11,775 below the required threshold.
The
@micova2026 campaign challenged the findings & presented additional evidence, including affidavits, to rehabilitate signatures it argued were legitimate.
Then came Monday. On August 24, the 4 member Michigan Board of State Canvassers spent nearly 7 HOURS reviewing disputed signatures & evidence individually.
After that review, the number of accepted signatures in the sample climbed from 612 to 626. They needed 629.
THREE SIGNATURES.
The Board then split 2–2 on certification, down party lines.
Because certification requires 3 votes, the proposal was not certified for the November ballot.
THIS is where I have serious questions:
Why did it take months to reach this point?
When the difference ultimately came down to 3 signatures in a 1,000-signature sample, why shouldn’t every legitimately disputed signature receive exhaustive consideration?
Why should the voices represented by more than 700,000 submitted signatures ultimately depend upon a tiny statistical sample?
Compare that to the “Money Out of Politics” petition, certified by that same board just weeks earlier — 3 to 1, with the Republican board chair himself joining both Democrats to pass it. So when a measure Democrats favored needed votes, a Republican crossed over to help it succeed. But when Citizens Only Voting needed just ONE more vote, the two Democrats held the line together & blocked it. Funny how that works.
I want Michigan voters to understand exactly how this process works & ask whether it is being administered consistently, transparently & fairly, regardless of which proposal is being considered.
ACV-Michigan is taking this to the Michigan Supreme Court — but I won’t hold my breath. That court has a 6-1 Democrat-nominated majority. If they lose there, they’ll need to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Either way, this will take time — time Jocelyn Benson knew she would get, as long as it didn’t make the November ballot.
So now we need court intervention. Ridiculous!
You don’t have to support this amendment to believe this process deserves scrutiny.
You don’t even have to agree with me politically.
But when hundreds of thousands of Michigan citizens sign a petition asking to put a constitutional amendment before the voters, we should demand a process so transparent, consistent & beyond reproach that nobody has to wonder whether politics determined the outcome.
This is bigger than one ballot proposal.
It’s about whether MI citizens can trust the system that decides whether their voices ever reach the ballot.
I hope you’re paying attention to the lengths
@JocelynBenson has gone to keep this off the ballot. Remember it in November. Don’t ever entrust her to be Michigan’s next Governor — the corruption will only accelerate under her watch.
State Board of Canvassers member Heather Cummings REFUSED to entertain evidence because it was “unfair” and she “didn’t have time”.
When the voices of SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND Michigan voters are on the line- you make time. Not excuses.