EDITORIAL: Once Again, Mich. GOP Legislators Thwart Democracy

MICHIGAN VOTERS WILL get a chance in the Nov. 4 election to take a stand on whether wolf hunting should be allowed, but the outcome may not matter.

Proposals 1 and 2 on the November general election ballot are referendums on laws that allowed Michigan’s first-ever wolf hunt in 50 years, which took place last year. Voters will be able to vote “yes” or “no” on the two laws approved by the Legislature that authorized state officials to schedule wolf hunting seasons. During Michigan’s first regulated hunt 22 wolves were killed.

A “no” vote would repeal those statutes, but Michigan’s Republican-controlled Legislature has already approved a third law allowing for future wolf hunts. That law is set to take effect in 2015. The law calls for an appointed Natural Resources Commission to decide about wolf hunts. That law will remain on the books even if voters reject the other two. Keep Michigan Wolves Protected gathered enough signatures in 2012 to stop the wolf hunt approved by the Legislature. Lawmakers turned around and passed a law to bypass that petition — making the ballot measure moot.

Keep Michigan Wolves Protected, spent over $1 million on petition drives to challenge the first two laws, is planning a lawsuit to challenge the newer law, arguing it is overly broad. Wolf hunting opponents say it’s important to send a message to the Legislature. Supporters of the hunts say the outcome of the referendums will be meaningless.

The bottom line is that, once again, Lansing legislators have thwarted the people’s right to decide using a ballot question. From raising the minimum wage to ending the use of Emergency Financial Managers in Michigan, residents have gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures to put various questions to the voters. Republican legislators have used their offices to reverse the decisions of voters (i.e. to end the use of Emergency Financial Managers) and to head voters off at the pass (with respect to the question of raising the state’s minimum wage).

While legislators were unable to come up with a plan to fund road repair, they were able to quickly craft and pass a law that seeks to make a mockery of the Nov. 4 vote concerning whether wolf hunting should continue. We believe citizens’ rights to impact state law by ballot initiative should be respected by lawmakers, including Gov. Snyder.