Michigan Board of Canvassers approves formal procedure to handle circulator-signature challenges

The Michigan State Board of Canvassers voted to adopt a Bureau of Elections procedure for handling challenges to petition circulator signatures, a measure staff said is intended to provide clarity after contentious review processes in the 2024 cycle.

Director Brater introduced the document, saying staff had revised earlier drafts and “the goal is to have a process that everybody understands at the front end” so the bureau and the board can handle circulator challenges within the short petition-review window.

The procedure emphasizes predictability and contains a recommended best practice that petition sponsors provide exemplar signatures — particularly when circulators are not registered Michigan voters or reside out of state — so staff can authenticate circulator signatures quickly. Adam, a bureau staffer who summarized edits, said the exemplar recommendation was the principal substantive change.

Public commenters and board members debated the measure’s scope. Mark Brewer, who identified himself as speaking in a personal capacity, urged the board to apply the same standards to ballot-proposal petitions and warned the board to plan for "pattern-and-practice" challenges alleging…