Although East Lansing City Clerk Marie Wicks was requested to take the steps to include the initiative on the ballot,  Wicks said that reprinting the ballots would invalidate the absentee ballots already submitted.

"For the past week people have been receiving and voting on overseas and military ballots according to Federal law and have been voting and delivering their regular absentee ballots," Wicks said in a statement. "Reprinting ballots would invalidate those completed ballots and disenfranchise AV voters, including Military and overseas voters."

WIcks said in the statement that the judge did not order to put the proposal on the ballot but that he ruled she complied all of the statutory deadlines presented to her. 

Ingham County Circuit Court judge James Jamo ruled on Monday that East Lansing City Clerk Marie Wicks should take steps to potentially include an initiative to decriminalize marijuana on the November ballot.

While the activists wait for the petition's submission to Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, they still face one major hurdle — some ballots have already been issued.

Wicks would have to submit the corresponding documents to the state attorney general, the city attorney and the city council to receive approval.

If Wicks completes all of the steps, the last action would be to present the petition to the Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum.

The proposal that will allow adults 21 and older to use, possess, or transfer one ounce or less of marijuana on private property was submitted by Coalition for a Safer East Lansing to be voted upon on November’s ballot.

The petition was submitted by the Coalition for a Safer East Lansing for Wicks' consideration on July 29. Wicks validated the signatures 45 days after they were first submitted, using the maximum amount of days under law for validation and missing the deadline to place a petition on this year’s ballot.

The proposal was originally set to appear on the 2015 ballot, until Jeffrey Hank, an East Lansing resident whose group Coalition for a Safer East Lansing sponsored the petition, filed suit.

Byrum’s concern is the confusion reprinting the ballots will bring to absentee voters.

“I have many concerns in regards to potentially reprinting ballots,” Byrum said. “This can create confusion and ultimately disenfranchise voters.”

Byrum said the logistics of taking such action would be an “undertaking” because absentee voters already voted for this year’s election.

“What people forget it isn’t just about reprinting ballots,” Byrum said. “It’s about programming the election, it’s about reaching out to those voters that already voted and giving new ballots to them.”

Hank said the ruling was a victory to the group of East Lansing residents that want to decriminalize the use of marijuana.

“We are hoping the county does the right thing and puts it in this year’s ballot,” Hank said.

Wicks said she was not available for comment, citing a need to consult with her attorneys.