With Nov. 6 fast approaching, not only will voters be gearing up to vote on their chosen candidates, but they'll need to decide whether to vote "yes" or "no" on three ballot proposals that affect everyone in the state. In advance of the election, here is a list of each of the three proposals.
Proposal 18-1: Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol
Put forth by the coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, proposal 18-1 would allow individuals age 21 and older to "purchase, possess and use marijuana and marijuana-infused edibles and grow up to 12 marijuana plants for personal consumption," according to the official ballot wording. According to the coalition's site regulatemi.org, they earned over 250,000 signatures in time to put the proposal on the ballot in November.
The proposal would also impose a 10 ounce limit for the amount of marijuana permissable to be kept in one's home, and require that amounts over 2.5 ounces be "secured in locked containers."
If passed, the proposal would require the state to create a licensing system of marijuana businesses that would "allow municipalities to ban or restrict them." For communities that did allow the retail sale of marijuana and edibles, there would be a 10 percent tax dedicated to "implementation costs, clinical trials, schools, roads, and municipalities where marijuana businesses are located."
Lastly, the proposal says that if passed it would "change several current violations from crimes to civil infractions." According to statistics from the American Civil Liberties Union, "Of the 8.2 million marijuana arrests between 2001 and 2010, 88 percent were for simply having marijuana." And Vox reported that in 2016 alone, "more people were arrested for marijuana possession than for all crimes the FBI classifies as violent." If regulated like alchohol, there is a chance that there will be a significant cut in arrests for minor infractions.
BTL supports a YES vote.
Learn more at regulatemi.org
Proposal 18-2: Voters Not Politicians
This proposal is aimed at stopping the process of gerrymandering. If passed, the proposal would require Michigan to adopt a constitutional amendment that creates a commission of 13 registered voters randomly selected by the Michigan Secretary of State to adopt district boundaries for the Michigan Senate, Michigan House of Representatives and U.S. Congress every 10 years. According to the votersnotpoliticians.com website, this is to fight politicians who "draw voting maps that directly benefit themselves, instead of putting the interests of voters or communities of Michigan first."
According to the official ballot language, of the 13 registered voters selected, four must "self-identify as affiliated with the 2 major political parties," and five must "self-identify as unaffiliated with major political parties." Additionally, the proposal would prohibit "partisan officeholders and candidates, their employers, certain relatives, and lobbyists from serving as commissioners."
The proposal would require that members of the commission would redistrict in an effort to reflect "Michigan's diverse population and communities of interest," and ensure that newly-drawn districts do not "provide disproportionate advantage to political parties or candidates."
BTL supports a YES vote.
Learn more at votersnotpoliticians.com
Proposal 18-3: Promote the Vote
According to statistics from the Secretary of State, in 2014 of the almost 7.5 million registered voters only 42 percent of them turned up to cast their ballots — with a similar trend in previous gubernatorial election years in 2010, 2006 and 2002. In an effort to fight this weak turnout in the upcoming election and all future ones, Proposal 18-3 aims to make the process of voting and registering to vote easier.
It proposes to authorize "automatic and Election Day voter registration, no-reason absentee voting, and straight ticket voting; and add current legal requirements for military and overseas voting and post-election audits to the Michigan Constitution."
BTL supports a YES vote.
Learn more at promotethevotemi.com
To learn more about each of the proposals visit their sites: Promote the Vote can be found at promotethevotemi.com. Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol's site is regulatemi.org. Voters Not Politicians' website is votersnotpoliticians.com.
