Your stall tactics are becoming obvious, Republicans
The Stand Up for Democracy coalition along with Rainbow/Push Detroit filed an emergency appeal today demanding that the Board of State Canvassers rule immediately to put the repeal of Public Act 4 – Michigan’s anti-democratic Emergency Manager law — on the November ballot.
The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that the measure must be allowed on the ballot because the nearly quarter million petition signatures were on petitions that were “substantially compliant” with the petition laws. (In fact, they were 100% compliant.)
Stand Up for Democracy said in a statement:
The Board of Canvassers meets Tuesday and is not scheduled to certify the petition as ordered by the court. This is the latest stall tactic by opponents of democracy. For months, right-wing elements in state government have been hard at work making sure the petition to repeal the emergency manager dictator law would never make it to the ballot. Although those efforts suffered a major setback in the courts last week, right wing elements in state government continue to find ways to stall the courts’ order.
Rainbow Push Detroit’s D. Alexander Bullock said, “In Michigan we face the twin evils of voter suspension and voter suppression. It is time for the Court of Appeals to uphold the law and not participate in partisan politics.”
The emergency appeal was filed this afternoon.
Attorney Butch Hollowell files emergency motion (photo courtesy of Rainbow Push Detroit)
From the Detroit Free Press:
The citizen group Stand Up for Democracy said in its motion for immediate effect that the Court’s inaction — basically not ordering the Board in its opinion to immediately place the question on the ballot — before Election Day would be a blow to democracy.“We won in the Court of Appeals last week,” said attorney Melvin “Butch” Hollowell. “They indicated in their ruling that the 226,000 petitions that were circulated throughout the state of Michigan to overturn this emergency financial manager law must be placed on the Nov. 6 ballot.” […]
“This is an occasion for all Michiganders, no matter where you live, no matter what your party affiliation is, what your ideological beliefs may be, this is a question for democracy,” [Detroit NAACP president Rev. Wendell] Anthony said. “It’s not a Democratic issue. It’s not a Republican issue. It’s not a Detroit issue. It’s not a Traverse City issue. It’s an American issue. This is a question of democracy.” […]
“If our motion is not granted the Court of Appeals decision will be meaningless because we will miss the deadline of August 27 that we need to meet in order for this initiative to get on the ballot, said Stand Up for Democracy attorney Julie Hurwitz.”So it would be a completely meaningless opinion from the Court of Appeals unless they grant this motion.”
I have said all along that this entire charade about the font size is nothing more than a stall tactic to prevent the referendum from getting on the ballot. We will find out next Tuesday if this is exactly what is happening.
Stay tuned.
