The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative is too important to lie about. Especially when it was so hard to understand before it was reworded in late January.
The controversy surrounding the MCRI continues to intensify — accusations are being brought up against the legitimacy of signatures obtained to get the disputed measure on November's ballot.
Circulators of petitions supporting the MCRI are being accused of lying to citizens about the purpose of the initiative by saying it supported affirmative action. They're also accused of using racial-targeting tactics, such as using minority circulators, to convince voters to sign the petition.
Some circulators said they were provided with little information about the petition.
Considering how crucial the MCRI will be in November, people shouldn't be asking for signatures, or signing anything, if they don't know what it means. That's why the initiative was reworded in January.
And if there really was any lying or misleading, that's disgusting.
It's wrong for anyone to purposely deceive people — especially those with the power to control what goes on the ballot. This is particularly true when those deceived could be the very ones that are completely opposed to the measure.
One of the biggest social issues in Michigan deserves a clear explanation for everyone, not misinformed petition circulators with a monetary incentive (about $1 per signature) disguising the proposal's true intentions.
False information shouldn't be used to sway people, even if it's only used to get it on the ballot.
If the accusations are untrue, the public should let this part of the debate go and focus on what its vote will be in November. If there wasn't any kind of deception, then opponents unhappy that the proposal made it to the ballot should simply vote against it.
The full extent of the proposal is unclear. People should take the time to make sure they understand the issues behind the ballot measure before casting their votes in November.
Trusting petition circulators with the important task of educating the public about the proposal just won't cut it.
