Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

A Michigan House select committee examining the Board of State Canvassers and Bureau of Elections is scheduled to convene again Tuesday. It's looking into the process used to count or reject petition signatures -- specifically keeping the Americans for Citizen Voting proposal off next month's ballot.

"We have 740,000 people that signed petitions, and we have other proposals coming before the voters as well. We want to make sure that those people who signed those have an assurance they are being checked fairly," said Rep. Ann Bollin (R-Brighton Township), a former township clerk who previously chaired the House Elections and Ethics Committee.

The Michigan House created the select committee after the Board of State Canvassers deadlocked on whether the Americans for Citizen Voting petition had enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. The proposed constitutional amendment would require people voting in Michigan elections to prove they are U.S. citizens.

The Board of State Canvassers spent nearly seven hours August 24, reviewing the petition before deadlocking on whether the campaign met the required threshold of 446,198 valid signatures.

The dispute centered on a sample of 1,000 petition signatures reviewed by election officials. According to the Bureau of Elections, Americans for Citizen Voting fell just short of the number of valid signatures needed within that sample to qualify for certification.

Bollin says the important thing is restoring confidence in michigan's election process and ensuring trust by the general public.

"What is not clear is whether or not the same guidelines were used to approve signatures and validate signatures," she said. "We saw back in 2020 where Secretary of State (Jocelyn) Benson had put forth directives to clerks, and the courts found she had no authority to do that. It was either change the signature guidelines, put them in statute or go through the rule process."

More information on the committee is linked below.