BOSTON — Following certification of its proposed ballot question by the Massachusetts Attorney General, the Right to Repair Coalition yesterday announced it will immediately begin collecting signatures to place the petition for its pro-consumer initiative before voters. Supporters have until Nov. 23 to get the nearly 70,000 signatures required to secure placement of the question on the 2012 ballot.

The proposed Right to Repair law would require automobile manufacturers to provide directly to consumers the diagnostic and safety information needed to repair their cars at the shop of their choice. Currently, auto manufacturers provide only some of the diagnostic and safety information needed to repair vehicle owners’ cars with independent technicians, limiting consumers’ choices and losing business for neighborhood repair shops, according to the Coalition.

Consumers across the state visiting local mechanics or neighborhood parts stores have filled out letters of support and sent them to their state legislators. More than 50,000 letters have now been submitted and the coalition’s Facebook page has received more than 8,000 “likes,” the group says.

The Right to Repair Coalition includes consumer advocates like AAA, the American Military Society, seniors’ groups like RetireSafe and more than 5,000 independent shops, small businesses and retailers in communities across Massachusetts that employ 32,641.