State Rep. David Martin on Tuesday voted to adopt the citizen-led Michiganders for Money Out of Politics initiative, saying the Legislature should respect the people who used Michigan’s constitutional petition process to bring the proposal directly before lawmakers.

“The people collected the signatures, did the work and brought this legislation to our doorstep,” Martin said. “The House listened, showed up and voted. That is how representative government is supposed to work.”

Martin said the proposal builds on House efforts to challenge powerful interests in utilities, health care, corporate welfare and government contracting.

“Utilities, health care giants and corporations seeking government business shouldn’t be able to buy influence,” Martin said. “And politicians shouldn’t be able to ignore the people simply because taking a vote is politically inconvenient.”

Martin criticized Senate leadership for declining to take up the petition. Under Michigan’s Constitution, an initiated law is submitted to the Legislature after supporters collect enough valid signatures. If lawmakers do not enact it, the proposal goes before voters.

“That distinction matters,” Martin said. “The people didn’t just ask permission to someday vote on this. They exercised their constitutional right to put legislation directly in front of us and ask their representatives to act. The House answered them. The Senate is choosing not to.”

Martin invoked Alexis de Tocqueville’s warning about the “tyranny of the majority,” saying democratic government depends on more than a governing majority having the power to control the legislative calendar.

“Tocqueville understood that democracy is strongest when political power remains answerable to the people,” Martin said. “The danger comes when a majority decides that because it controls the machinery of government, it doesn’t have to listen to anyone else. Using political power to avoid a vote on a petition the people themselves put before us is exactly the kind of thing we should guard against.”

Martin said Senate Democrats shouldn’t be able to avoid a tough vote simply by refusing to show up. The people earned a vote on their petition, and controlling the Senate shouldn’t mean controlling whether their voices are heard at all.

“The people did their part. The House did its part. I did my part and voted yes,” Martin said. “Senate Democrats need to show up, take up the petition and do the job the people sent them here to do.”