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

Michigan's House launched a new Select Committee, chaired by Rep. Mike Harris, to examine how the Board of State Canvassers and Bureau of Elections sample and verify ballot petition signatures. The review follows a deadlocked canvasser vote that kept a strict voter ID measure off the November ballot after it fell just three valid signatures short in a 1,000-vote sample, while a separate campaign finance measure cleared its own narrow margin earlier this year.

Harris says the committee's standard is ‘facts first, conclusions second’ and insists he has no predetermined policy outcome, while some Republicans, including Speaker Matt Hall, have already alleged conservative measures get unfair treatment in the process. Democratic vice chair Rep. Denise Mentzer says she has no personal concerns about how recent measures were handled but supports the review as routine self-checking.

The committee has invited representatives from both petition campaigns and plans a report with findings and possible policy recommendations by year's end.

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