Reproductive Freedom for All organizers and volunteers on stage at the Lansing Center for a press conference following ballot submission. Photo: Samuel Robinson/Axios
Two groups aiming to amend Michigan's Constitution turned in a record number of signatures to the secretary of state Monday.
Driving the news: Reproductive Freedom for All, which submitted 753,759 signatures, would enshrine abortion access into law and nullify the 1931 abortion ban.
- Promote the Vote 2022, which turned in 669,972 signatures, aims to codify existing laws around election verification and offer at least nine days of early voting.
Context: Constitutional amendments require 425,059 signatures to land on the November 2 ballot.
Why it matters: If both efforts are certified, they would become the two most-signed ballot efforts in the state dating back to 1978.
The intrigue: More than 30,000 of Reproductive Freedom's 62,000 volunteers signed up following the leaked draft of the U.S. Supreme Court opinion in May, according to the ACLU of Michigan.
What they're saying: "We can establish the model for other states around the country to be able to follow suit," Planned Parenthood of Michigan director Nicole Wells-Stallworth tells Axios.
What's next: The Bureau of Elections will send its review of the validity of the signatures to the Board of State Canvassers for approval, although legal challenges from Republican attorneys are possible.
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