Possible Changes to Voting and Education Funding Are Coming Our Way
If you’ve been to any large outdoor gatherings this summer, chances are someone has approached you about signing one of several ballot initiatives to amend the Michigan constitution. These questions will go on the ballot a year from this November if their supporters gather enough signatures statewide in the next few months.
Since it can be difficult to understand the details of ballot initiatives on the run, here’s a more detailed breakdown of two for you to consider. We’ll take a closer look at other ballot measures in upcoming issues.
Rank MI Vote is a statewide organization promoting a ballot measure to institute ranked choice voting in Michigan for federal offices (US House and Senate), Governor, Lieutenant Governor, state Attorney General, and Michigan Secretary of State. It would not apply to Detroit elections. If the amendment passes in November 2026, the new voting process would begin in 2029.
Here’s how it would work: Voters would have the option to vote for only one candidate, as they’ve always done. But they would also have the option to vote for first-, second-, and third-choice candidates, and so on.
According to Hayley Harding of Votebeat, a non-profit and nonpartisan news organization, writing for Bridge Michigan, “If one candidate wins an outright majority, that person is the winner. Otherwise, when ballots are tabulated, the candidate who gets the least votes is eliminated from contention, and totals are recalculated using the second choice of that candidate’s supporters. This process continues until two candidates remain, and the one who gets the highest number of votes wins.”
Here's a hypothetical example: Let’s say that the Seven Dwarfs are all running in the Michigan primary for Governor. Dopey comes in last in the first round because, well, who’d want a dope for Governor? Dopey is dropped, but all the people who voted for him have their second-choice votes counted.
If none of the remaining six Dwarfs get 51% of the overall vote, then the last place Dwarf – let’s say it’s Bashful this time – gets eliminated and the second choices of his voters get counted. This process continues until one Dwarf gets a clear majority. You can also think of it as an instant runoff.
Earlier this year the Michigan state legislature outlawed ranked choice voting essentially along party lines, with Republicans voting against RCV and Democrats voting for it. This initiative proposes to override that ban by embedding RCV in the state constitution.
Opponents of RCV say that it’s too confusing, would lead to spoiled ballots, more skepticism about the integrity of our elections, and would be too expensive. Supporters say that it can be easily understood if explained properly, and that our voting machines are already set up to easily tabulate second-choice votes. It also eliminates the expense of separate run-off elections. Most important, they say, RCV ensures that the eventual winner has the support of a majority of voters. Even if your first choice candidate doesn’t win, there’s a better chance that your second choice will prevail. It’s also a good way to hedge your bets if you’re torn between two candidates.
Maine and Alaska have already implemented ranked choice voting, as have 47 U.S. cities and other countries including Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, For more information and Frequently Asked Questions, check out RankMiVote.org.
Image courtesy of Invest in MI Kids
Invest in MI Kids is another, more straightforward, petition being circulated right now. It calls for increasing taxes for millionaires to give more money to Michigan’s schools. Here’s how the ballot proposal reads:
“Constitutional amendment to add, beginning in 2027, an additional 5% tax on annual taxable income over $1 million for joint filers and over $500,000 for single filers. This tax is in addition to existing state income taxes, and is to be deposited into the State School Aid Fund and required to be used exclusively on local school district classrooms, career and technical education, reducing class sizes, and recruiting and retaining teachers; and subject funds to annual audits.
Note that it is not a tax on small businesses, but on individuals. Some have questioned why a new surcharge is necessary since we have the Michigan lottery to provide school funding. Proponents note, however, that in fiscal year 2023, the lottery proceeds made up only 6.2% of the School Aid Fund. For more information about the proposal and how similar surcharges have worked in other states, check out Invest in MI Kids.
