Last week, two more business organizations formally launched challenges to proposals headed for the ballot this November.
Michigan Opportunity — a group tied to the Michigan Restaurant Association — is leading the effort against the minimum wage proposal.
Attorneys for business organizations such as Small Business for a Better Michigan are seeking to block a proposal that would require employers offer paid sick time.
And finally, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce is fighting against a ballot proposal to change how electoral districts are drawn. The state Supreme Court will hear arguments on that challenge this Thursday.
Zach Gorchow is an editor of Gongwer News Service. He joined Stateside’s Cynthia Canty to discuss how these challenges reflect the current state of politics in Michigan.
According to Gorchow, there have not been this many meaningful proposals on the ballot since 2012. Those proposals faced a number of challenges, too.
“The theory is basically it's a lot cheaper and maybe easier to defeat a ballot proposal before it ever gets on the ballot by knocking it down in court,” Gorchow said. “Once it's on the ballot, then you’re looking at potentially millions of dollars that have to be spent to defeat it, as opposed to maybe tens of thousands of dollars for attorneys to defeat it in court.”
Listen above to hear the full conversation with Zach Gorchow
This post was written by Stateside production assistant Sophie Sherry.
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