With the 2026 midterm elections quickly approaching, six proposals are in the process of gaining approval to appear on Michigan ballots. All of the proposals have received approval from the Board of State Canvassers, and canvassers are in the process of gathering signatures.
Access to information regarding ballot proposals and voting information is a crucial part of engaging in communal responsibilities and civic duties. Understanding the fine print on ballots can provide foundational knowledge that is helpful in navigating voting processes. The proposals currently in the processes of being approved are enumerated below. The amount of signatures needed for the proposals and the duration in which to collect them varies.
Ranked choice voting is an electoral system that allows voters to rank candidates on their ballot by preference, meaning they would be able to vote for multiple candidates in order of preference. If a candidate wins a majority of first-preference votes, they would be declared the winner, but if no candidate wins the majority, the person with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated. Votes for the eliminated candidate are then counted toward the next highest-ranked candidate in the following round, and so on, until one candidate wins the majority.
Michigan’s current system allows candidates to win with less than 50% of the votes, as an elected official can win primaries with only 30% of the vote, and then go on to win the general election, as happened in the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections. If passed, this proposal would go into place beginning 2029.
If passed, AxMITax would eliminate property taxes in Michigan. To replace the lost revenue, the portion of state sales tax redistributed to cities, townships and villages would increase from 10% to 13.33%, and from zero to 6.67% for counties. Additionally, this amendment would require 60% voter approval for local tax increases, and a two-thirds vote of both the Senate and House to increase any state tax that would increase revenue by more than 0.1% over five years.
This proposal would require verification of United States citizenship during voter registration, as well as a photo ID for both in-person and absentee voting. This would eliminate the current option for voters without a photo ID to sign an affidavit of identity. If passed, the proposal could pose challenges for voters that lack accurate documents to prove their citizenship, including women who have changed their last names after marriage.
This second proof-of-citizenship proposal has two different versions. The first would prohibit the counting of ballots from voters with unverified citizenship, and remove non-citizens using governmental records. The second would remove non-citizens after a notice and 45-day rebuttal. Ballots from citizens without citizenship documents and photo ID would not be counted unless documents are shown within six days after the election. The initiative proposes there would be a state-funded hardship program to help citizens obtain the proper documentation so they can vote. Any violation of these terms would result in a $1,000 fine and/or five years in prison.
If both the Protect Voters’ Rights and Americans for Citizen Voting initiatives appear on the ballot, only the initiative with the most ‘yes’ votes would amend the Michigan Constitution.
Michigan Constitutional Convention
If passed, the proposal would give Michiganders the option to convene and revise the state constitution every 16 years. The state has not held a constitutional convention since the 1960s. Every House and Senate district in the state would be represented through a delegate election process, totaling 148 delegates. Those delegates would have a month to convene, in which they would have the ability to write any amount of amendments, or even change the constitution entirely. However, Michigan voters would have the final say over whether or not to adopt changes.
This initiative does not require signatures to appear on the ballot, and is set to be listed.
The Voters to Stop Pay Cuts proposal would initiate a referendum to repeal a state wage law passed in February that revised minimum wage, tip and paid sick leave standards. The proposal would eliminate tipped wages and match base pay to the state minimum wage. However, the initiative would slow the minimum wage increase, which is currently set to reach $15 by 2027.
This proposal would add an additional 5% tax on annual taxable income of over $1,000,000 for joint filers and over $500,000 for single filers. The money would be deposited directly into the State School Aid Fund and used exclusively for local school districts’ classrooms, career and technical education, reducing class sizes, and recruiting and retaining teachers. Taxation would be in addition to existing state income taxes.
Michiganders for Money out of Politics
Michiganders for Money out of Politics, or Mop Up Michigan, is a grassroots campaign aimed at reducing corporate influence in politics by banning political donations from regulated utilities and companies with significant government contracts. Another component of the initiative is closing the “issue ad loophole” by mandating an ad spending disclosure of $5,000 or more, 100 days before a general election and 30 days before a primary election. The goal of the proposal is to eliminate “dark money” in Michigan politics, and ensure the voices of everyday citizens are not drowned out by powerful corporations.
