Proposition 3 - today's lesser known US election

Proposition 3 would change Michigan’s constitution to require utilities to source 25% of their electricity from renewables by 2025.

If it passes, Michigan would become the first state in the US to have a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) enshrined in its constitution so that lawmakers could not easily alter it.

Backers hope that Proposition 3 will become a model nationally. So far 30 states – including Michigan—have passed laws requiring RPSs.

But voters appears to be getting cold feet on such a dramatic move. In a poll released on 31 October by the Detroit Free Press and  WXYZ-TV,  55% of potential Michigan voters said they opposed Proposition 3 while 35% backed it.

In September, the same pollsters found that 55% were in favour.

On October 25, the American Wind Energy Association emailed supporters asking them to volunteer for two-hour shifts of phoning potential Michigan voters to lobby them on the measure.

The opposition has been more heavily funded, including by the state’s two largest utilities, Consumers Energy and DTE Energy, and by the national American Natural Gas Alliance.