Guest Editorial
Not since doing term papers in high school have we seen such concern from people in a position of authority over penmanship. Still, the Board of State Canvassers turned its attention to the small print last week, literally and figuratively, as it rejected voter petitions to overturn Michigan’s emergency manager law.
There was no dispute that petition backers collected enough signatures, nor that they had legal language to put on the Nov. 6 ballot. Instead, the board deadlocked 2-2 over the issue whether headlines in the petitions were in large enough print. Canvassers’ inability to act touches off what, sadly, was a foregone conclusion, anyway: a court battle.
Still, before the battle over this law moves to the courts, let’s focus on last week’s decision. It pushed the boundaries of common sense and respect for the public’s will. Whether or not you agree with the emergency manager law is irrelevant here: Voters should be dismayed by the partisanship on display.
This board’s vote broke cleanly along party lines, much like the fierce debate over this law, which was expanded last year to give managers more authority. Two Democrats voted — correctly, we feel — to certify the petitions. Two Republicans voted no.
Just as with the Legislature in recent years, the process looks to have been tainted by partisanship. Does anyone truly believe the print size on the petitions was anything more than a technicality, an excuse that gave these Republican board members a reason to vote no?
Had the board approved this ballot proposal, the impact would have been felt immediately. The expanded emergency manager law that Snyder and lawmakers approved last year would have been suspended, pending the November election results. That is significant and, to those who support the law, a troubling development that puts financially troubled cities and school districts in limbo.
And yet, that is the power that is put in the hands of Michigan residents. Some 226,000 of them put their names to these petitions because they want the opportunity in November to overturn the law. They should not be denied their legal and political right on a flimsy technicality.
Gov. Rick Snyder prides himself on his willingness to solve problems, to not be bogged down by partisanship. Here is an opportunity to test his rhetoric.
Snyder should work with Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate to devise a new and better system to replace the Board of State Canvassers. The board’s size (four members) and appointment (by the governor, with Senate approval) seem tailor-made for partisan gridlock, as we saw last week.
So, let’s see if our elected officials can take politics out of what is supposed to be an impartial process. It’s too late now as far as the emergency financial manager law is concerned, but there is an opportunity here to restore some public faith in Michigan’s election process. Let’s get something good out of last week’s decision.
— THE JACKSON CITIZEN PATRIOT