Too late or not, anti-casino group turns in petitions for vote

Secretary of State Candice Miller says the group missed the deadline to win a spot on the Nov. 3 state ballot. But the casino opponents say her deadline is unenforceable and violates state law.

On Thursday, the Coalition to Repeal Proposal E turned in 21 boxes of petitions bearing 260,723 signatures at Miller's Lansing office. The group said it would submit more petitions by Wednesday to provide a safety margin.

The group seeks a statewide vote on whether to repeal Proposal E, the voter-approved 1996 measure that allowed three casinos in Detroit.

State law requires 247,127 valid signatures to place a legislative initiative on the statewide ballot. The anti-casino coalition says it wants a 60,000-signature cushion to make up for any found to be invalid.

But even if the group manages to get enough valid signatures, it has waited too long to win a ballot spot this fall, according to Miller spokeswoman Elizabeth Boyd.

Earlier, the secretary of state had issued a May 27 deadline for ballot proposal petitions, given the time it takes to check the validity of petition signatures.

"We need 60 days so that we can guarantee that the work can be completed," Ms. Boyd said.

The Michigan Constitution requires that the Legislature have 40 days to consider such initiatives before they go on the ballot, she said.

The secretary of state would have to complete the signature checks by July 26 to allow for that review while still giving county clerks the required two-month notice, Ms. Boyd said.

She said her office would be unable to complete a check of the signatures before mid- or late-August.

But anti-casino campaign spokesman Bill McMaster said there is no legal basis for the secretary of state's deadlines. He said there should be enough time for a sample of the signatures to be checked.

"It is an attempt to rewrite the state Constitution and election law to suit the fancy or the influence of casino gambling people," McMaster said in a statement.

In a subsequent statement, McMaster said Miller and Gov. John Engler "have announced their heavyweight political opposition to Repeal Proposal E getting on the ballot because it would bring out a casino-backed large vote in Detroit and impede the Republican ticket on November 3."

Supporters of casino gambling in Detroit claimed victory Thursday.

"Today, the effort to repeal Proposal E failed, and 23,000 quality jobs approved by Michigan voters for Detroit are safe again," said Roger Martin, spokesman for the Greektown casino group - one of three that have won casino franchises in the city.

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