‘Facts first, conclusions second’: House committee begins review of ballot measure procedures

Michigan Rep. Mike Harris (R-Waterford Township) introduced a new House Select Committee, established to examine the rules and procedures of the Board of State Canvassers and the Bureau of Elections, specifically the sampling process used to verify signatures for ballot initiatives, at a first hearing of the committee on Tuesday afternoon.

Harris’ approach, he said in an introductory statement, is “facts first, conclusions second.”

“That standard will apply to everyone,” he continued. “It applies to the petition proponents. It applies to the Bureau of Elections. It applies to the Board of State Canvassers. It applies to outside organizations, and I hope the members sitting on this committee take that standard to heart.”

The committee was established after the Board of State Canvassers deadlocked on a vote to approve a ballot petition that would have established strict voter ID laws in the state. Because the canvassers could not come to a majority vote, that means the measure will not be on the November ballot. 

The decision was made on the margin of just a handful of signatures. In a sample of 1,000 votes, the petition was just three valid signatures shy of the needed margin. 

“We are not here to decide whether we agree with the proposed amendment,” Harris said. “We are not here to relitigate a political campaign, and we are not beginning this investigation with a conclusion about whether anyone did anything wrong. We are here because the Michigan House of Representatives determined that the rules, procedures, and practices used in this process deserve serious thought and oversight.”

Citizens-only voting petition sponsors look to 2028 after initiative fails before state canvassers

Earlier this year, a different ballot proposal, Michiganders for Money Out of Politics, did meet the threshold of valid signatures, though also by a small margin in the 1,000-vote sample. 

Some Republicans, including House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township), have alleged that conservative-leaning ballot measures have been treated unfairly in the signature verification process, but Harris said that he is going into his role as chair of the new committee as “very open-minded and unbiased.”

“I think that’s part of why I’m chairing this committee, that and my investigative background,” he said. “That is truly the role that I’m going to take, despite anybody else’s comments. My focus here is to get to the facts and understand the process.”

Harris said that the committee has invited representatives of both ballot measures to appear before the committee, though he noted that the scope of the committee would not be limited to those two petitions and would also include previous ballot measures.

New House committee to examine signature verification sampling process for ballot initiatives

Rep. Denise Mentzer (D-Mount Clemens), the minority vice chair of the committee, said that she did not personally have any concerns about what she saw with the state’s recent ballot measures, both this year or in past election cycles, but added that she believes it is good for government to regularly check itself and to make sure that the processes are functioning correctly. 

“I’m looking at the process. Is the process that was followed correct? Is the process the same as what’s been followed in other instances of constitutional ballot questions?” she said. “If the process is correct, as Chair Harris said, we’ve got no issue, right? If the process needs tweaking, we will figure that out as we review things. My goal isn’t to say whether the ballot initiative was correct or fair or whatever. I don’t care about the ballot initiative. I am here to look at, was the process followed appropriately and properly? That’s it.”

Following the hearing, Harris told reporters that he does not have any “predetermined outcomes on what we’re thinking for policy yet,” and that the outcome of the committee will be determined by what it finds.

“My goal by the end of this year is to make sure that we have a report that we submit to the body that has recommendations and findings on what we saw,” Harris said. “If everything’s working great, that’s what the report will show. If there’s what we think are inadequacies or things that are failing the citizens of the state of Michigan, we’ll report that as well, and there may be policy recommendations that come with that.”

Mentzer said that, if Democrats retake control of the state House in 2027, she would enthusiastically take over leadership of the committee to continue its work.