Detroit voters on Nov. 3 will see four initiatives on their ballots. Get familiar with what you’ll be asked to decide on.
Ballot proposals and millages by Lauren RazzaqProposal 1: Constitutional Convention
Michiganders will also vote on whether Michigan should hold a constitutional convention — colloquially known as a “con-con” — to revise the state’s fundamental governing document. This question is required to be on the ballot every 16 years.
The language on the ballot will read:
A proposal to convene a constitutional convention for the purpose of drafting a general revision of the state constitution. Shall a convention of elected delegates be convened in 2027 to draft a general revision of the state constitution for presentation to the state’s voters for their approval or rejection?
Voters will get to choose yes or no.
A yes vote is one in favor of starting the process of rewriting the state’s constitution. The entire document would be rewritten over a period of months (or longer) by representatives chosen by voters across the state.
Even if voters approve a convention, that is not a guarantee the constitution would change. The final document would go before voters when it is completed for another yes-or-no vote. Only if it is approved would it replace the current constitution.
No official campaigns have filed paperwork with the state in support of a constitutional convention. That said, a number of prominent Republican legislators have suggested their support for it.
A no vote is one in favor of leaving the state’s constitution as written.
There is money and lobbying power behind an effort to encourage voters to vote no on the convention. The group Protect MI Constitution From Special Interests, made up of a multitude of business groups, voting rights groups, and more, has raised more than $860,000 to oppose the convention effort, according to state campaign finance reports.
A number of candidates running for office this fall from both major parties also are against a convention.
Credit: Jordyn Hermani/Bridge Michigan
Proposal 2: Money out of politics
Prohibits certain organizations and individuals — such as regulated electric and gas utilities, contractors with over $250,000 annually in government contracts, and people and organizations with substantial connections to those utilities or contractors — from making direct or indirect contributions to those who run for office, and also provide further regulations for campaign finance laws and spending on political communications
The language on the ballot will read:
A proposed initiated law to prohibit campaign contributions from certain regulated utilities and government contractors and apply campaign finance laws and regulations to additional types of political communications.
The proposal would:
- Prohibit regulated electric and gas utilities, contractors with over $250,000 annually in government contracts, and people and organizations with substantial connections to these utilities/contractors from making direct or indirect campaign contributions to those who run for or hold offices that impact them.
- Expand laws regulating spending on political communications, including those requiring disclosing donor information, to apply to communications clearly identifying candidates or ballot questions, even if they do not expressly advocate voting for/against them.
- Expressly apply the law requiring disclosure of who paid for political communications to internet political communications.
Should this proposal be adopted?
A yes vote is one in favor of making the proposal law in Michigan — no governor signature required. It would be more difficult to overturn than a typical law, requiring three-quarters of each chamber to vote to amend or overturn it.
The committee pushing MMOP has raised more than $7.3 million, according to campaign finance filings. Its largest donors included progressive groups such as the Massachusetts-based All Hands on Deck Network (which donated more than $3 million) and the Washington, D.C.-based Sixteen Thirty Fund (which donated $700,000).
A no vote is one against putting the proposal into state law.
MMOP is opposed by a group called Protect MI Free Speech, which has raised more than $570,000, largely from business groups. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Comcast Financial Agency Corp., CMS Energy (best known by its subsidiary, Consumers Energy), and a number of other prominent business groups all gave at least $65,000 to oppose MMOP. Michigan Energy First, a group heavily linked to DTE Energy, also gave $50,000, according to campaign finance filings.
Detroit Zoo millage
Voters in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties will be voting to renew a millage for the Detroit Zoo that was first approved back in 2008. The tax goes to “fund zoological services through the Wayne County Zoological Authority, supporting animal care for more than 2,000 animals and 200 species, educational and senior programs, and facility maintenance at the Detroit Zoo.”
The millage is for a 0.1-mill property tax levied for 10 years. This means the tax would cost the owner of a $200,000 home a total of $10 per year. This is a renewal and not a new tax. The last time the millage was renewed was in 2016.
Funds will be disbursed to the Zoological Authority and transferred to the Detroit Zoo as permitted by law. It is estimated that $6,145,462 will be collected in the first year.
The language on the ballot will read:
Do you approve the renewal and restoration of the levy of 0.10 mill on all taxable property in Wayne County for a period of ten (10) years, from 2028 through 2037?
Detroit museum millage
After years of financial hardship and stalled efforts, two longstanding Detroit cultural institutions are uniting to ask voters in Wayne and Oakland counties to support a joint operating millage in the Nov. 3 election.
The Detroit Historical Society and Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on Tuesday launched the “Yes to Our Story” campaign, a proposal seeking a 10-year, 0.2 mill levy in Wayne and Oakland counties. The tax would amount to $30 per year for the owner of a home with an average value of $300,000, Historical Society President and CEO Elana Rugh and Wright Museum President and CEO Neil Barclay said at a news conference.
In return, residents of both counties would receive free admission to the Wright Museum and the Historical Society, which operates the Detroit Historical Museum in Midtown and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle. Currently, only small children and museum members receive free admission.
Additionally, the millage would cover free transportation for students and seniors, new curriculum and training for teachers and the publicly-owned collections for both museums would be permanently protected. Specific details on who would provide transportation are still being discussed, Rugh and Barclay said.
The language on the ballot will read:
Shall a 0.2 mill tax on all taxable property located within Wayne County be imposed by the Authority for a period of ten (10) years, being years 2026 through 2035, inclusive, to provide historical museum services for the benefit of the residents of the Counties?
Want to know what else is on your ballot? See a sample here.