Pubdate: Fri, 30 Oct 2015
Source: Detroit News (MI)
Copyright: 2015 The Detroit News
Contact:  http://www.detroitnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/126
Author: Chad Livengood

MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION EFFORT SHIFTS ON STRATEGY

Lansing - A group seeking to put recreational marijuana legalization 
on the November 2016 ballot abruptly stopped collecting signatures at 
the end of September, prompting a competing pro-pot group to 
speculate the other campaign is faltering.

"We've heard rumors they were out of money. We haven't seen them on 
the street," said Jeff Hank, chair of the MI Legalize campaign. "To 
take a month off from petitioning is odd."

But Republican political consultant Matt Marsden, who is heading the 
Michigan Cannabis Coalition, says the campaign is taking a "pause" to 
study the 210,000 voters who have already signed in pursuit of the 
minimum 252,523 valid voter signatures needed to get on the ballot.

This group is largely funded by RevSix Data Systems, Marsden's 
Pontiac-based voter data company that is trying to use the voter 
signatures to build a winning campaign strategy instead of just 
earning a spot on the ballot, Marsden said.

"Our pause is a pause," Marsden said.

RevSix Data Systems has been inputting the names of voters who have 
signed the pro-marijuana petitions into the company's voter history 
database to build a geographic and demographic map of likely voters 
across the state who they could tap for grassroots support next year, 
Marsden said.

"We're trying to reshape how ballot proposals are done," Marsden 
said. "We have the ability and the time to take a break, study this 
and put it in a file so down the road we won't have to spend as much 
money on campaigning and polling."

RevSix has sunk $402,000 into the campaign, including $150,000 from 
in-kind services Marsden and his business partner Dennis Darnoi have provided.

Michigan Cannabis Coalition had $67,197 in cash on hand as of Oct. 20 
and owed $64,006 in debts to attorneys, a fundraiser and a 
signature-gathering company, according to a campaign finance report 
filed Monday.

MI Legalize said it had $54,162 in the bank and $3,727 in debts on 
Oct. 20, according to a campaign finance report.

The group is feverishly trying to raise money to match a $100,000 
contribution from a donor who will remain anonymous until the next 
legally required reporting period, Hank said.

MI Legalize raised $11,000 at a Sunday fundraiser in Ypsilanti and 
$17,000 at a fundraiser in Flint last week, he said.

The group raised $23,000 Wednesday night at $500-a-ticket event at 
the Roostertail banquet hall with Detroit City Council President Pro 
Tem George Cushingberry, Hank said.

"We're full speed ahead," he said. "We've got this $100,000 matching 
funds on the line."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom