State Rep. Mike Mueller today called upon Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to move forward with the process to certify the citizen-led initiative organized by Unlock Michigan.

Mueller, of Linden, said the people of Michigan chose to exercise their grassroots lawmaking power to repeal the 1945 Emergency Powers of the Governor Act, and the Secretary of State has a duty to follow the law. She must review the signatures and allow the proposal to advance to the Legislature for consideration if Unlock Michigan has presented 340,047 valid signatures.

“It has been more than three months since Unlock Michigan submitted the petitions to the Secretary of State on Oct. 2, 2020, and recent media reports indicate that not a single signature on the petitions has been reviewed by the office you oversee,” Mueller wrote. “The Legislature, serving as the representatives of the people, recently approved a bill to repeal this section of law, which has already been ruled unconstitutional by the highest court in the state. The governor vetoed it. The citizens of our state took it upon themselves to initiate the repeal through their own petition process so that it cannot be blocked by the governor – and it is critically important that the voices of the people are not silenced.”

A full copy of Mueller’s letter is attached.