Constitution reform foiled by PowerPoint

After a proposal to amend 35 sections of Michigan’s constitution was revealed as an apparent ploy to gain Democratic control of state government, political experts are saying it is unlikely to appear on the ballot this fall.

An intern for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy uncovered the hidden motive in a Powerpoint presentation on a UAW Web site. The presentation described how the proposal would help Democrats gain control by eliminating two Republican Supreme Court justices, the Detroit Free Press reported.

The presentation has since been removed from the Web site.

Supporters have praised the proposal for reducing elected officials’ salaries and benefits and requiring them to disclose annual finances.

Dianne Byrum, spokeswoman for the ballot proposal, denied the allegations and said the proposal aims to fix a broken state government.

“Families have been tightening their belts in these tough economic times and this proposal requires that government tightens its belt and shares in the pain,” Byrum said.

The Detroit Free Press reported that Thomas Morgan, an employee of Byrum’s consulting firm, is the author of the Powerpoint presentation.

While the exposure was embarrassing for the proposal’s backers, it has no impact on whether or not the proposal makes the ballot in November. However, there are other factors that could keep it off.

Bill Ballenger, editor and publisher of Inside Michigan Politics, said the biggest factor that could keep the proposal from being considered is the number of reforms it would require. Ballenger said 35 amendments are too many for a single ballot item.

“(It’s) a Dagwood sandwich on a toothpick,” he said. “A huge whopping sandwich about a foot high and somebody’s trying to serve it up on a toothpick and eat it in one bite.”

Ballenger said a constitutional convention should be formed to consider such a large number of changes.

“That’s the only way you can really deal with the many reforms this proposal calls for in a thoughtful way,” he said.

The next time voters have the opportunity to vote for a constitutional convention is in 2010. Voters have overwhelmingly rejected the past two proposals to form a convention.

In addition to the problem of the proposal’s size, a typo which referred to amending a nonexistent section of the constitution could make the proposal void, said Steve Mitchell, chairman of East Lansing-based Mitchell Research and Communications Inc.

“A mistake was made saying that they would change Article II, Section 11, which does not exist,” Mitchell said. “That, coupled with the extensive nature of the proposal, I don’t think it will be on the ballot.”

Since the discovery of the motives behind the proposal, many politicians have attempted to distance themselves from it, Ballenger said.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm has not taken a stance on the issue.

“There are aspects that she finds attractive, like no reason absentee voting, and there are aspects that she finds troubling, which is the fact that there could be a reduction in minority representation,” said Liz Boyd, a spokeswoman for Granholm.

Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, said he has opposed the legislation from the beginning.

Meadows has proposed alternative legislation that would lower officials’ pay and benefits without changing other areas of the constitution.

Byrum said she is not concerned that the proposal will lose support as a result of last week’s news.

“There is widespread and broad support for the proposal,” she said. “What we’re saying is, let the people vote and let’s have a debate on the merits of this proposal.”

A group called Citizens Protecting the Constitution is planning to file a lawsuit in an effort to keep the proposal from being included on the ballot.

Both Ballenger and Mitchell said the group is almost sure to win the suit.

“There will be litigation and it will succeed,” Ballenger said.

“It will be thrown off the ballot.”

Published on Monday, July 21, 2008