Other initiatives appear to lack enough signatures

It appears that three controversial issues will come before voters this November: proposals to permit the medical use of marijuana, to allow stem cell research and to dramatically overhaul state government.

Monday is the deadline to submit petitions to get citizen initiatives on the November ballot. Most of the initiatives whose language was submitted for approval to the State Board of Canvassers are expected to fall short of the roughly 380,000 valid signatures needed to make the ballot.

But three are expected to sail through the certification process. Here’s a look at the issues you can expect to see on the ballot this November.

Continued – Medical marijuana
The Michigan Medical Marijuana Act is sponsored by the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care. It would amend state law to allow authorized patients to use marijuana therapeutically under a doctor’s supervision. If the initiative passes, Michigan will be the 13th state to legalize the medical use of marijuana.

Stem cells
This initiative would amend the state Constitution to authorize the destruction of human embryos in research aimed at curing chronic and debilitating illness. Doing so would end Michigan’s 30-year-old ban on scientific research that destroys embryos. The amendment would allow research on embryos created for use in fertility treatment but ultimately not needed and likely to be discarded. A group called the Stem Cell Ballot Question Committee has said it will submit more than 500,000 petition signatures Monday.

Government reform
A Democratic-leaning group called Reform Michigan Government Now is expected to submit signatures for a sweeping overhaul of state government. The ballot language was not submitted to the State Board of Canvassers, and the group flew under the radar until recently.

Among other things, the proposal would:

  • Reduce the number of state lawmakers, from 110 to 82 in the House and from 38 to 28 in the Senate, and cut their pay and benefits to 2002 levels

  • Force lawmakers to disclose their personal financial records and prevent them from lobbying for two years after they left office

  • Empower a nonpartisan panel to redraw legislative district boundaries, rather than the political party in power in the House at the time

  • Eliminate two Supreme Court justice seats and cut state Court of Appeals judges from 28 to 21, while adding 10 judges at the circuit court level

  • Cut salaries for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state

  • Cap the number of state departments at 18

  • Eliminate some state boards and commissions

  • Allow voters to get absentee ballots without having to give a reason

The initiative has split state Democrats, according to a Detroit News story last week; several Democrats, including members of Congress and the state Legislature, reportedly held a conference call with Gov. Jennifer Granholm to express their concerns regarding the proposal’s content and the stealth nature with which it was brought about.