Mackinac Center Sues Over Michigan Proposal 2's $5,000 Speech-Disclosure Trigger

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Nov 6

$5,000 in annual "electioneering communications" would trigger new reporting under Michigan's newly approved Proposal 2, prompting the Mackinac Center to file a federal First Amendment lawsuit.
The suit does not seek to void the ballot measure's pay-to-play donation limits; it asks a court to block, as applied to Mackinac, the disclosure rules and political-committee provisions tied to speech about candidates and ballot questions.
Mackinac says neutral products including its MichiganVotes project, policy scorecards, podcasts and briefs could be swept in because the law covers public messages naming candidates within 100 days of a general election or 30 days of a primary.
MOP UP Michigan, which backed Proposal 2 after submitting more than 560,000 signatures, said the challenge was expected and argued the measure closes an "issue-ad loophole" while remaining legally sound.
Proposal 2 is due to take effect within 10 days of the official vote declaration and no later than Dec. 3, setting up a near-term court fight over how far campaign-transparency rules can reach beyond explicit election advocacy.