Updates About Ballot Proposals

Three petitions were withdrawn following outcomes of the 2022 election. Let MI Kids Learn withdrew its two initiative petitions and Secure MI Vote withdrew its one petition on December 28, 2022. The Secure MI Vote ballot initiative would have made a law requiring identification to vote, while the Let MI Kids Learn ballot initiatives would establish a scholarship program to provide grants to low-income students for education expenses and allow those who donate to claim tax credits.

Both initiatives were circulated with the expectation that the Republican-led House and Senate would vote them into law, but the signatures were filed after the deadline that would put the initiatives on the 2022 ballot, pushing them out to the 2024 ballot. With a Democratic trifecta in Lansing, the initiatives likely would have been defeated or ignored by lawmakers, especially after the passage of Proposal 22-2 which enshrined voting measures into the state’s constitution.

The Michigan Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit brought forward by Governor Gretchen Whitmer that asked the high court to rule on the constitutionality of Michigan’s 1931 law that banned abortions.

With the passage of Proposal 3 in November 2022, the Michigan Supreme Court dismissed Whitmer’s case as moot. This comes after Governor Whitmer asked the court to withdraw her request. The request, which she originally filed following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, kept Michigan’s 1931 ban on abortions from going into effect until residents had a chance to vote on Proposal 3.

On Wednesday, December 14, Governor Whitmer signed Executive Directive 2022-13 which instructs State of Michigan departments and agencies to prepare for the implementation of reproductive freedom in the Michigan Constitution. Departments and agencies are asked to review the aspects of reproductive rights that fall within their jurisdiction and identify ways they can protect and proactively increase protections for the fundamental right of reproductive healthcare.

Michigan voters approved Proposal 2022-3, which was on the November ballot. Proposal 3 will take effect on December 24.