If you’re heading to the polls today to vote on Proposal 1 (which, if you have no idea what we’re talking about, see here), here’s something sure to warm your heart while you’re deciding to fill-in ‘yes’ or ‘no’: More than $8 million has been spent on the campaign for this single proposal — in an election that will cost $10 million.
That figure comes from a report by the Center for Public Integrity, a nonpartisan investigative reporting outfit based in Washington D.C.
Ballot measures are typically an expensive fight to wage, with most of the funds originating from “deep-pocketed parties who stand to reap financial benefits from the outcome,” the Center notes.
Proposal 1 has been touted as a solution to fix Michigan’s roads by increasing infrastructure funding $1.2 billion annually, with an additional $600-$700 million for schools, municipalities, and public transit. It is, by no stretch of the imagination, not a slam dunk for Gov. Rick Snyder, who’s considering a run at the White House currently and has been one of Prop 1’s most vocal boosters.
Who’s interested in seeing the proposal succeed, or fail? The Center examined a bevy of campaign finance records and found, among other things: a Saginaw businessman, Paul Mitchell, has chipped in over $420,000 to the campaign opposed to the measure; more than 4,000 ads in support of the proposal have been aired, costing $1.5 million; and a longtime adviser to Snyder has spent $10,000 to oppose Prop 1.
The full report, in all of its campaign finance glory, is lodged here.
This article appears in Apr 29 – May 5, 2015.
