Legislature approves firm 180-day period for ballot drives

(AP) — Groups collecting signatures for statewide ballot drives could submit those only collected within a firm 180-day period under legislation passed by a divided House Wednesday and expected to land on Gov. Rick Snyder's desk soon.

The bill, which would take effect immediately if signed, is a response to a marijuana legalization ballot committee's plan to try to more easily qualify old signatures.

The Board of State Canvassers last week deadlocked on allowing petition backers to use a digital voter registration database to rebut a presumption that signatures older than 180 days are void or stale — which has effectively served as a 180-day limit in practice for decades.

GOP House Speaker Kevin Cotter said setting a hard 180-day period is "straightforward" guidance, and it should not be a problem for ballot organizers to gather enough signatures within that timeframe if voters are supportive.

Democrats, though, accused majority Republicans of diminishing citizens' power because of the party's opposition to current efforts to put an anti-fracking proposal and the marijuana legalization measure on the November ballot.