LANSING, Mich. (WOWO) — A Michigan House committee is examining how the state determines whether massive ballot petitions contain enough valid signatures to qualify for consideration.
The newly formed House Select Committee is reviewing the state’s petition-verification process after Americans for Citizen Voting submitted more than 700,000 signatures for a proposed constitutional amendment.
The Michigan Bureau of Elections reported that the group submitted 709,841 signatures, while 446,198 valid signatures were required for a constitutional amendment to qualify. Rather than review every signature, Michigan used a statistical sample of 1,000 signatures to estimate the validity of the entire submission.
The committee’s review comes after the proposed amendment failed to advance based on the results of that sampling process.
State records show that, among the 1,000 signatures examined, 308 were determined to be invalid. That included signatures that did not sufficiently match voter records, signers who were not registered in the listed city or township and other problems involving dates or petition information. After challenges and responses were considered, 612 of the 1,000 sampled signatures were found valid.
Under the state’s statistical methodology, at least 629 valid signatures in the 1,000-signature sample were needed for the petition to be certified. A result of 628 or fewer would result in denial of certification.
The proposed constitutional amendment, sponsored by Americans for Citizen Voting-Michigan, sought changes involving verification of voter citizenship, documentation requirements and other election procedures.
During the committee’s examination, lawmakers focused on whether the statistical sampling system provides a reliable way to determine the validity of hundreds of thousands of signatures without individually reviewing the entire petition.
Rep. Mike Harris said the committee should examine the process separately from the outcome of the particular petition.
“We have to separate the issue from the process,” Harris said. “Because the integrity of the system cannot depend on whether we happen to like the outcome that it produces.”
Harris said the committee’s goal is to determine whether the existing system is fair and sufficiently supported by evidence, and whether any weaknesses need to be addressed.
“If this process is fair, it should withstand scrutiny,” Harris said. “If the process is sound, the evidence should demonstrate it. And if the process has weaknesses, we have an obligation to find and address them.”
Michigan’s Board of State Canvassers ultimately considered the Americans for Citizen Voting petition after the Bureau of Elections completed its review. The Secretary of State’s office continues to publish the sampling methodology and staff reports as part of the state’s petition process.
The committee’s examination does not itself change Michigan’s current petition requirements or determine whether future ballot initiatives will qualify. Its focus is whether the state’s existing method for reviewing large petition submissions should be changed.
