Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Consumers Energy and DTE Energy are suing to block Michigan's voter-approved Proposition 2 ballot proposal that would bar monopoly utilities and some state contractors from political contributions.

The utilities argue what was billed as a way to get "money out of politics," would compromise First Amendment rights.

"This proposal unfairly targets a Michigan business, its Michigan employees and their family members from exercising their constitutionally protected rights to participate in the political process, while allowing out of state special interest groups and billionaires to continue flooding Michigan with political spending," said Katie Carey, a spokeswoman for Consumers Energy told The Detroit News. "Michiganders should not lose their First Amendment rights because of where they work."

DTE Energy spokesman Ryan Lowry said the company is made up of 10,000 Michigan residents "whose fundamental right to free speech is under attack."

"They deserve the same rights as their friends and neighbors to support the candidates and issues they care about," Lowry said.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy filed a federal lawsuit against the ballot proposal on Tuesday, before Michigan completed or certified its vote count.

"They've expanded this definition so broadly, there is this whole host of new groups and individuals that aren't partisan and are not trying to support a candidate, and just presenting information, that are now going to have to release financial information, donor information, disclaimer requirements, all sorts of things that will make doing their job, even the job of a reporter, very difficult," spokesman Jarett Skorup told WHMI News.

"The way I look at things, whenever you're voting on anyone, any person or ballot proposal, there's a lesson from the great economist Thomas Sowell, there are no solutions, only trade offs," he added. "You might be trying to solve a problem, but we also have to think about the trade off. Many times a trade off is worse than the solution."

The group that campaigned for the proposal, Michiganders for Money out of Politics, said the lawsuit comes as no surprise. Corporations have been "gearing up" for the lawsuit, the group said, "since Proposal 2 first qualified for the ballot, if not before."

"On Tuesday, Michiganders spoke loud and clear, voting to pass Proposal 2 with an overwhelming majority and delivering a resounding mandate to end pay-to-play politics and put power back where it belongs -- with the people," said Maura Cowley, campaign manager for Michiganders for Money out of Politics. "The bottom line is that we are confident Proposal 2 will withstand legal scrutiny, and we were fully expecting and are prepared to take on this and any legal challenge."