$10.10/hour minimum wage petition shot down by state elections board
A state elections board has rejected a petition to raise Michigan's minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.
A bipartisan majority of the Board of State Canvassers threw out dozens of signatures after a last-minute challenge from opponents. They say the signatures were from people who signed the petition more than once, which is illegal under Michigan election law.
"I'm 100% confident that what we've shown them in terms of duplication will be confirmed by any review of any of them," said John Pirich with People Protecting Michigan Jobs, the group opposing the petition.
"I mean, it's one after another."
Frank Houston, a spokesperson for Raise Michigan, the campaign trying to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, claims the process was rigged against them.
"The rules of the game were changed at the last minute," Houston told reporters after the vote. "And I think it's pretty clear that they were looking for an end result, which is to keep it off the ballot."
Houston says the group is considering a court challenge.
Earlier this year, state lawmakers and Gov. Rick Snyder approved raising Michigan's minimum wage to $9.25 an hour by 2018.
Meanwhile the state elections board approved almost 300,000 petition signatures for a wolf hunting proposal Thursday.
State lawmakers have 40 days to pass the measure. Otherwise, it will go on the statewide ballot in November.
Bob LaBrant is with the group that gathered the signatures. He says it's clear the Legislature supports wolf hunting and will approve the measure.
"We think the Legislature, who's already dealt with this subject twice only to be frustrated by referendums, will prevail in the end," said LaBrant.
The petition could still be challenged in court. Opponents of wolf hunting say it deals with too many issues unrelated to wolf hunting.