We got ourselves a big voter turnout ballot issue now.
The proposal to ban the use of race and gender in hiring and admissions by government and public universities will go before voters November 7 under an order issued Thursday by the Michigan Supreme Court.
The court declined a request by opponents of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative to overturn a decision from the state Court of Appeals that ordered the Board of State Canvassers to certify petitions promoting the measure.
The brief order did not address the claims of fraud made by opponents against petition circulators, who gathered more than a half million signatures in support of the proposal.
The contentious issue to ban the use of affirmative action programs that use race and gender preferences was prompted by a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2003 that approved their limited use by the University of Michigan.
Jennifer Gratz, a former Westland resident, who was one of the lead plaintiffs in the case against U-M, will lead the campaign with help from California businessman Ward Connerly, who has directed the movement nationally.
Opponents of the proposal include a virtual who’s who of Michigan religious, business, labor and public institutions. Early polling on the issue showed broad support, but one recent poll suggested state voters may be evenly split.
David Waymire, spokesman for the opposition group One United Michigan, said the court’s ruling was not a surprise.
Waymire said he believes petition circulators deceived voters about the affirmative action proposal, but that under Michigan law such deception is not prohibited. Michigan courts have generally found that the signers of petitions are presumed to have read and understood what a petition says.
Um...we might want to look into changing that.