Michigan Fetal Heartbeat Abortion Ban Initiative (2020)
| Michigan Fetal Heartbeat Abortion Ban Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2020 | |
| Topic Abortion | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Michigan Fetal Heartbeat Abortion Ban Initiative was not on the ballot in Michigan as an indirect initiated state statute on November 3, 2020.
The ballot measure would have restricted abortions when a fetal heartbeat is present.[1]
Text of measure
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
In Michigan, the number of signatures required to qualify an indirect initiated state statute for the ballot is equal to 8 percent of votes cast for governor in the last gubernatorial election. Signatures older than 180 days are invalid, which means all signatures must be collected within a 180-day window. Petitions for initiated statutes must be filed 160 days prior to the election. Successful initiative petitions are sent to the legislature, which then has 40 days to pass the proposed law. If the legislature does not approve the initiative, it goes on the ballot. If the legislature approves the initiative, it becomes law without needing the signature of the governor.
The requirements to get an initiated state statute certified for the 2020 ballot:
- Signatures: 340,047 valid signatures were required.
- Deadline: The deadline to submit signatures was May 27, 2020.
Signature petitions are filed with the secretary of state and verified by the board of state canvassers using a random sample method of verification.
Stages of this initiative
The committee Michigan Heartbeat Coalition filed the ballot initiative on May 21, 2019. The Michigan Board of State Canvassers approved the initiative for circulation on June 19, 2019, with the understanding that the word fetal heartbeat would be rewritten as cardiac activity.[2] The campaign did not report filing signatures by the deadline on May 27.
See also
Footnotes
 |
State of Michigan Lansing (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
