BRITTANY PIERCE
HEAD EDITOR
Proposal 1, the Marijuana Legalization Initiative, passed last week by a 56- 44 percent margin, making Michigan the first state in the Midwest to legalize the use of recreational marijuana. However, recreational marijuana is not technically legal until 10 days after the election and marijuana will not be widely commercially available until 2020. The use of recreational marijuana is only legal on private property for individuals over the age of 21. Marijuana is not legal for anyone on campus and other restrictions are still being set in place.
Proposal 2, the Independent Redistricting Initiative, passed with a 61.1-38.9 percent margin to end gerrymandering in Michigan. This proposal takes the power to draw the lines for congressional districts out of the hands of state lawmakers and gives the power to an independent redistricting committee. The committee will consist of four Republicans, four Democrats and five people who do not identify with either party.
Proposal 3, the Voting Policies in State Constitution Initiative, passed with a 66.8-33.2 percent margin to make voting in Michigan significantly easier. This allows same-day voter registration, increases auditing for election results, automatically registers citizens to vote at the Secretary of State’s office unless a citizen declines, provides residents the option to vote straight party and ensures that military service members overseas can obtain ballots. Several other states already provide some of these options.
