Organizers of a statewide campaign to repeal Michigan's controversial emergency manager law say they have collected close to 250,000 signatures from voters who want to see the issue on the November ballot.

Michigan Forward chairman Brandon Jessup says the Stand Up for Democracy coalition plans to present the signatures to Secretary of State Ruth Johnson next week in Lansing.

While the group needs roughly 161,300 valid signatures to get the referendum on the ballot, Jessup says the coalition passed 200,000 signatures weeks ago and will continue to collect through February 28.

"We need a mandate," Jessup told MLive.com Monday night at a forum in Highland Park. "We know there are forces all around the state that don't want to see this thing get on the ballot. We know the opposition is going to fight us hard on every signature."

"But I assure you we don't have any Mickey Mouses on our petitions. We got a great verification. Over ninety percent of the signatures we've analyzed are solid. We're confident, and we just want to make this a mandate."

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder says Public Act 4 is designed to help municipalities and school districts identify potential fiscal emergencies and head them off before a crisis. But critics say the law undermines democracy by allowing an unelected individual to dissolve elected bodies and modify collective bargaining agreements.

Jessup and other organizers will host a primary night rally on February 28 in Detroit, where they will announce the final number of signatures collected since they began their petition drive last year.

The next morning, organizers and supporters from Detroit, Flint and other municipalities impacted by Public Act 4 will board buses to Lansing, where they will hand deliver what is expected to be 50 or 60 boxes of signatures.

The coalition is concerned that the state legislature will respond to the repeal effort by passing new legislation before voters have a chance to weigh in on the referendum. But Al Garrett, president of ASCME Council 25, is encouraging supporters to follow his lead and contact their state representatives.

"As soon as I'm done carrying my box into the Secretary of State, I'm going to go over to see each legislator in Lansing and demand that they allow us to have a vote on whether we want democracy or dictatorship in our state," Garrett said at the forum.

"Close to a quarter-million people have spoken and said that we want to vote on this issue."

Check MLive.com tomorrow for full coverage of tonight's forum on Public Act 4 hosted in Highland Park by U.S. Rep. John Conyers.