Michigan board deadlocks on measure to repeal emergency law

LANSING » Michigan’s elections board deadlocked Thursday on certifying a veto-proof initiative that would enable the Republican-led Legislature to wipe from the books a law Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used to issue sweeping pandemic orders last year.

The 2-2 vote means proponents of the ballot drive will go to court.

Democrats on the Board of State Canvassers voted not to certify the citizen-initiated measure despite a recommendation by the state elections bureau, which determined Unlock Michigan collected 460,00 valid signatures — more than the roughly 340,000 needed. Democrats called for further investigation and new petition rules a day after Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel said investigators found “unsavory practices and sleazy tactics” but nothing that would stand up in court as crimes.

“I’m concerned about the validity of some of these signatures ... how these signatures were gathered,” Democrat Julie Matuzak said. “We are the gatekeepers of election integrity.”

Republicans supported certification.

“We’re just shutting down, and I don’t think we should shut down,” said chair Norman Shinkle. “They got well more than they need as far as signatures go.”

For months, the Democratic governor used the emergency-powers law to order and keep intact restrictions on the economy to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The Michigan Supreme Court declared the law unconstitutional in October, but Unlock Michigan wants to repeal it to prevent a future court from deciding differently.

Since the ruling, Whitmer has turned to the state health department to keep intact a mask requirement and to tighten and ease restrictions under a separate law.