As expected, another of this year’s major ballot proposals is heading to the courtroom following Board of State Canvassers action this week.

The Protect Our Jobs proposal to protect the right for collective bargaining through a constitutional amendment submitted significantly more than the 322,609 required signatures; however, the petition was challenged and just one day after the Court of Appeals ruled on the Citizens for More Michigan Jobs initiative (see related story), the Board of State Canvassers failed to certify the petition drive.

The Canvassers split 2-2 on the issue of dissolving the challenge to the proposal’s legality with the Board’s two Democrats voting to put the measure on the ballot, and the two Republicans rejecting the same. The Board then entertained a motion to reject the initiative based on it being too broad and overreaching – this motion also going down 2-2.

Attorneys representing those supporting the proposal immediately filed action with the Michigan Supreme Court to bypass the Court of Appeals on whether the proposal should be placed on the ballot.