Michigan Senate Approves Reforms on Petition Collection and Election Disinformation

Michigan lawmakers have passed a series of bills aimed at combating election disinformation and reforming the state’s petition circulation process, marking a significant step toward strengthening electoral integrity.

The Michigan Senate approved the legislative package Thursday with bipartisan support. The measures include three bills sponsored by Democratic state Senators Jeremy Moss of Bloomfield Township and Jeff Irwin of Ann Arbor.

The Irwin-Moss legislation would implement several key reforms to Michigan’s petition process. Senate Bill 529 would prohibit petition organizers from paying circulators per signature, aligning Michigan with other states that have banned financial incentives that might encourage circulators to mislead voters. Senate Bill 530 would require circulators to direct potential signers to a factual summary of the ballot proposal before collecting signatures. Senate Bill 531 ensures that if identical signatures appear on a single petition, only one would be counted.

“Every election cycle, we hear reports of petition circulators engaging in deceptive practices that erode faith in the process to place candidates and proposals on the ballot,” Senator Moss said in a statement. “A person should be able to grow support for their cause based on its own merit, not by misrepresenting what the petitions will do.”

Senator Irwin emphasized that the legislation would protect citizens participating in direct democracy. “Michigan has a lively democracy that produces a lot of initiative petitions, and it can be hard for even the most informed voter to keep track of whether they have already signed a particular version of a petition,” Irwin stated. “Multiple signatures from the same person are all thrown out under current law, disenfranchising citizens. My bill has a simple solution: if a person signs more than once, one and only one signature would be counted.”

The package also includes Senate Bill 533, sponsored by Democratic state Senator Mary Cavanagh of Redford Township, which passed earlier this year. This bill would penalize false statements or misrepresentations concerning elections.

Cavanagh, who has worked as an election worker, noted the real-world impact of misinformation. “In recent years, we have witnessed targeted disinformation campaigns within some of the most underserved communities in our state, like posting signs telling folks that polling places are closed or disingenuous robocalls with false election information aimed at restricting Michiganders’ right to vote,” she said.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel both praised the legislation. Benson said the bills would ensure voters know the truth about what they’re being asked to sign, while Nessel emphasized that the improvements would help encourage civic engagement while closing loopholes exploited for fraudulent aims.

Despite passing the Senate, the future of these bills remains uncertain in the Republican-controlled House. The Irwin-Moss bills have been referred to the House Election Integrity Committee, but Cavanagh’s bill was sent to the House Government Operations Committee when it passed the Senate in September—a committee known in Lansing political circles as “the place where legislation goes to die.” The latter committee has yet to hold a hearing on Cavanagh’s bill.

In separate but related action, the Senate also unanimously passed legislation establishing a 45-day transparency window for new legislative earmarks before they can come up for a vote. Senate Bill 596 and House Bill 4420 represent a compromise between proposals for shorter and longer review periods, with Republican state Senator Jim Runestad of White Lake having originally proposed a 60-day window.

The earmark transparency measures stemmed from changes in House rules and the extended budget negotiations earlier this year. Republican House Speaker Matt Hall of Richland Township had previously indicated he would not consider Senate versions of earmarks reform without sufficient time to analyze where funding would be directed and who would benefit.

The election integrity and petition reform package represents one of the most significant electoral process reforms in Michigan in recent years, addressing concerns that have grown more prominent following contested elections and controversial ballot initiatives.