Michigan voters will decide in November on a citizen-led ballot initiative known as Proposal 2, or the Michiganders for Money Out of Politics initiative, which seeks to ban utility companies and certain government contractors from donating to state candidates and expand political ad disclosure requirements. The measure aims to curb corporate influence in state elections, though opponents warn it could trigger constitutional challenges and shift political spending toward out-of-state donors.
If passed, Proposal 2 would prohibit utility companies and businesses receiving more than $250,000 annually in state or local government contracts from making donations to state candidates. The initiative also mandates public disclosures when political groups spend $5,000 or more on political advertising within 100 days of a general election or 30 days of a primary, while extending these transparency rules to online political advertising.
Supporters Point to Corporate Influence and Utility Rate Hikes
Backers of the ballot measure argue that heavy corporate spending drowns out the voices of everyday citizens and distorts public policy. Christy McGillivray, co-chair of Michiganders for Money Out of Politics—also known as Mop Up Michigan—said the current campaign finance framework allows deep-pocketed entities to secure favorable policies at the expense of voters.
The entities giving millions and millions of dollars to politicians often get exactly what they want in policy, and the result is that the voices of voters are drowned out by the amount of corporate money that is flowing into our political system,
McGillivray said.
Supporters single out utility companies, health insurance companies and government contractors like Flock Safety, an automatic license plate reader company that has faced local scrutiny in Metro Detroit communities. McGillivray pointed to a recently approved $139.2 million rate hike for Consumers Energy as evidence of corporate political leverage, asking voters whether they trust utility companies or the more than 560,000 Michiganders who signed the petition to place Proposal 2 on the ballot.
Opponents Warn of First Amendment Overreach and Out-of-State Spending
Opponents organized under the committee Protect MI Free Speech argue that the ballot initiative represents an unconstitutional overreach that infringes on free speech rights. John Sellek, a spokesperson for the opposition committee, stated that the proposal affects individuals and organizations with connections to utility companies or government contractors far beyond what its creators acknowledge.
Proposal 2 must be a NO vote because it goes far beyond what its secret, dark-money funded creators are telling people. It would ban average citizens from supporting the candidate of their choice, put quality non-profit service organizations at risk of losing their funding, and ultimately be found as an unconstitutional overreach on freedom of speech in the courts. Like that old wisdom says, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Sellek said.
Major utility providers have added their voices to the opposition. Katie Carey, director of media relations for Consumers Energy, argued that the initiative will not remove money from politics but will instead disadvantage local employers while empowering wealthy national interests and out-of-state Super PACs.
Mop Up Michigan’s approach won’t eliminate money in politics — it will simply shift influence away from Michigan companies and toward wealthy national donors and special interests, similar to the dark money funders of their ballot proposal. Meanwhile, local employers and their employees risk being sidelined. Meanwhile, out-of-state shell companies, independent expenditure groups and Super PACs would be granted disproportionate influence — and we’ve already seen it firsthand with MMOP raising $7.4 million (and counting) to finance their ballot bullying.
Carey said.
Local 4 Poll Shows Early Voter Support Ahead of November Election
A poll conducted by Local 4 using the exact language scheduled to appear on the November ballot indicated substantial early backing among likely voters. The survey results showed that 71.5% of respondents favor voting yes on Proposal 2, while 15.6% intend to vote no, and 12.8% remain unsure or declined to answer.
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