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Board OKs petitions for redistricting, sick time, pot drives

Posted at 1:24 PM, Aug 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-17 13:24:03-04

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan elections board has cleared three more groups to proceed with drives to put statewide proposals on the 2018 ballot.

Advocates of empowering an independent commission to draw congressional and legislative districts had the form of their petition approved Thursday by the Board of State Canvassers. The Legislature and governor currently handle redistricting, drawing complaints that the process is too partisan.

The board also approved petition forms for groups wanting to guarantee paid sick leave for employees and to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

Another marijuana legalization initiative is well underway. Unlike that one, the new proposal would not tax the drug.

Activists must now gather hundreds of thousands of valid voter signatures in a six-month window to qualify for the November 2018 ballot.