Michiganders for Money Out Of Politics faces final hurdles: Lawsuit, Legislature

A Michigan ballot proposal to bar political contributions from monopoly utilities and large government contractors faces two threats before November: a lawsuit and the Legislature itself. The Michiganders for Money Out of Politics (MMOP) measure has cleared ballot-language approval, but Protect MI Free Speech has sued alleging the Board of State Canvassers botched certification, with the Michigan Supreme Court asked to rule by Thursday.

House Speaker Matt Hall could instead adopt the measure outright before September 5, keeping it off the ballot while leaving it open to a simple-majority repeal later — a maneuver the state's Supreme Court already slapped down once in 2024 over minimum wage and sick leave laws. DTE, Consumers Energy, and Blue Cross Blue Shield have funneled a combined $180,000 into the opposition group, which has raised $579,000 total, while a progressive dark-money nonprofit has poured $5.4 million of MMOP's $7.4 million into the campaign.

Utility spokespeople argue the measure would silence employees who voluntarily fund political action committees. A May poll found 8 in 10 Michiganders, across party lines, support the proposal anyway.

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