MI Supreme Court Orders Abortion Rights Proposal To Ballot: Report

MICHIGAN — The Michigan Supreme Court ordered Thursday an abortion rights proposal and a proposal expanding voting rights to the November ballot in a 5-2 vote, multiple reports said.

The ruling comes after numerous groups appealed to the court after the state's elections board rejected both proposals in a deadlocked vote last week.

If approved by voters, the Reproductive Freedom for All petition would amend the Michigan constitution to guarantee the right to make decisions about all matters relating to pregnancy, including birth control, abortion, prenatal care and childbirth, nullifying the state's 1931 law banning abortion.

"Today’s rulings from the Michigan Supreme Court underscore that the role of the Board of State Canvassers under law is to affirm the will of the voters," Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said. "That means certifying ballot proposals if and when a sufficient number of eligible citizens' signatures support the petition, just as the law compels them to certify election results based on the votes cast by the people of Michigan."

Two Republicans on the elections board sided with challengers to the abortion rights proposal after they raised issues with the proposal's literate text, arguing it wasn't written in plain English because there weren't enough spaces between the words.

Two Democrats on the board argued the board members were looking too thoroughly at the content of the proposal, as opposed to certifying the signatures. However, the two Republican dissents resulted in a tie.

The Michigan Supreme Court also said a proposal expanding voting rights should be on the November ballot too, after the elections board also rejected that proposal that ended in a tie as well.

If approved by voters, the petition would expand the state's voting rights in numerous ways, such as requiring at least nine days of early in-person voting; banning harassment at polling places; allowing voters to fill out a single application to vote absentee for all future elections and allowing donations, which must be disclosed, to fund elections.

"This important ballot initiative will help ensure that every Michigan voter’s voice is heard and that every vote is counted in every election, no matter where you live, what you look like or what political party or candidate you support," Promote the Vote 2022 Board President Khalilah Spencer said.

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