Special Section
Michigan Election 2026
Nonpartisan coverage of the Nov. 3 ballot: state questions, local races and how to vote.
Election Night Results
Michigan polls close at 8 p.m. local time. Results will be posted here and in our stories as counties report. Results are unofficial until certified.
About this section
Michigan votes Tuesday, Nov. 3. Every ballot includes races for governor, U.S. Senate, Congress and the Legislature, two Michigan Supreme Court seats, education and university boards, and two statewide proposals: Proposal 1, the constitutional convention question, and Proposal 2, on utility and contractor campaign donations. Below that, ballots vary by address, with county millages, city council and commission races, school bonds and charter questions. This section focuses on those state and local questions. Our coverage is nonpartisan: we explain what is on the ballot, who is running and what supporters and opponents say, with sources listed on every story. We do not endorse candidates or proposals.
Key dates
- Mon., Oct. 19: Last day to register online or by mail. After that, register in person at your city or township clerk’s office with proof of residency, through 8 p.m. Election Day.
- Sat., Oct. 24 – Sun., Nov. 1: Statewide early in-person voting (at least nine days; some communities offer more).
- Fri., Oct. 30, 5 p.m.: Deadline for clerks to receive absentee ballot applications by mail or online; you can still request one in person at your clerk’s office until 4 p.m. Mon., Nov. 2.
- Tue., Nov. 3: Election Day. Polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Absentee ballots must reach your clerk by 8 p.m.
- By Tue., Nov. 17: County boards of canvassers certify local results (within 14 days).
- By Mon., Nov. 23: Board of State Canvassers certifies statewide results (within 20 days).
What’s on the ballot
- Statewide Proposal 1: call a constitutional convention?
- Statewide Proposal 2: ban utility and large-contractor campaign donations
- Michigan Supreme Court: two seats
- Governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state Senate and state House
- State Board of Education and University of Michigan, Michigan State and Wayne State boards
- Local millages, bonds, charter questions and city, township and school board races
Official links
- Michigan Voter Information Center: check registration, find your sample ballot and polling place
- Michigan.gov/Vote: register, early voting and absentee information
- Michigan Department of State: absentee voting
- Official Michigan election results
Guides
Latest election coverage
Muskegon · October 21, 2026
Muskegon County asks voters for a new half-mill parks and trails tax that would end the $7 park entry fee. Here is what it would cost you
The 10-year levy would raise about $3.6 million a year, with up to 30% shared with cities, villages and townships. A home with a $100,000 taxable value would pay $50 a year; the county would drop its $25 annual park pass.
Midland · October 21, 2026
Midland Public Schools asks voters for a 1.5-mill sinking fund on Nov. 3, a smaller request after a $285 million bond failed
The 10-year tax would raise about $4.57 million in its first year for door buzzers, cameras, roofs, heating systems and buses. On a $250,000 home the district puts the cost at about $187.50 a year. Voters rejected the 2025 bond 68% to 32%.
Dearborn · October 20, 2026
Dearborn Public Schools asks voters for a $1.51 billion bond. Here is what it would do to your tax bill
The 3.14-mill levy would build six new preK-8 schools over 20 years. The district says Dearborn homeowners would see no net change, but businesses, landlords and Dearborn Heights homeowners would pay more.
Royal Oak · October 20, 2026
Royal Oak voters weigh a $165 million school bond and two city millage renewals on Nov. 3
The district says the bond would not raise the current 2.20-mill debt rate. The city wants to renew 0.70 mill for parks, forestry and the animal shelter and 0.20 mill for senior services.
Sterling Heights · October 20, 2026
Sterling Heights voters decide two charter changes: special elections for long council vacancies and a $50,000 purchasing limit
One proposal would let voters, not the council, fill seats with two or more years left. The other would raise the spending amount that needs council approval from $5,000, set in 1968, to $50,000.
Sault Ste. Marie · October 20, 2026
Chippewa County voters decide Nov. 3 whether to renew the 8-mill limit that funds county, township and ISD operations
The question renews separate tax limitations for 2027 through 2030: 6.15 mills for the county, 1.65 for townships and 0.20 for the intermediate school district.
Houghton · October 20, 2026
Houghton County’s $28 million jail bond: 28 beds since 1963, about $5 a month for the average homeowner, and a Nov. 3 vote
The proposal would build a new jail and sheriff’s complex on West Sharon Avenue with room for at least 60 inmates. Here are the numbers on both sides.
Grand Rapids · October 20, 2026
Fifteen candidates seek five Grand Rapids school board seats as GRPS faces falling enrollment, low reading scores and a superintendent search
Voters pick five of 15 names on Nov. 3, and a sixth seat has one candidate. The winners will help choose Leadriane Roby’s successor in a district that has lost nearly 30% of its students since 2010.
Lansing · October 20, 2026
Lansing voters decide whether to write a healthcare board into the city charter, one that would report how their state and federal lawmakers vote
The petition-driven amendment would create a citizens’ board to issue a Healthcare Action Plan every two years. Its campaign website targets Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, and the city attorney says the city can’t carry out the plan itself.
Jackson · October 19, 2026
Two Jackson County townships ask voters for new public-safety taxes: 1.25 mills in Liberty Township for a fire engine and a 10-year, 2-mill levy in Norvell
Neither request is a renewal. Liberty’s three-year tax would raise about $247,488 in its first year to replace a fire engine; Norvell’s would raise about $391,000 a year for police, fire and ambulance service through 2035.
Ann Arbor · October 19, 2026
Saline-area voters weigh a 2.98-mill fire authority tax that would raise $6.5 million a year, which the department calls about a mill above today’s funding
The Saline Area Fire Authority wants its own 10-year property tax in place of yearly payments from Saline and Lodi, Saline and York townships. A house with a $250,000 taxable value would pay up to $745 a year.
Tri-Cities · October 19, 2026
Republican John Wetzel runs on lower taxes and local control for Ottawa County’s open 31st District Senate seat against Democrat Chris Kleinjans
Term-limited Sen. Roger Victory backs Wetzel, a Grand Haven-area software founder. Kleinjans, a Navy veteran who won a 2024 county recall race, wants an 18-month pause on new data centers.
Muskegon · October 19, 2026
Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole runs on public safety and tax relief for the open Muskegon-area state Senate seat against Democrat Rebecca Amidon
Term-limited Sen. Jon Bumstead won the 32nd District 52.8% to 47.2% in 2022. Cole, a four-term sheriff, opposes cashless bail and backs school choice; Amidon is running on child care and school funding.
Warren · October 19, 2026
Republican John Goldwater takes on Sen. Kevin Hertel in Lake St. Clair’s 12th District, a seat that could decide the state Senate
Hertel won the swing seat by 404 votes in 2022. Goldwater, a New Baltimore businessman, is running on lower costs and public safety and is hitting Hertel over a data center tax break he wrote.
Bay City · October 19, 2026
Jason Tunney seeks a rematch with Sen. Chedrick Greene as Rep. Timmy Beson defends his Bay City House seat against Mayor Chris Girard
The former prosecutor is running on lower taxes and public safety in the 35th Senate District. In the 96th House race, bridges and tolls split Beson and Girard, and three Kawkawlin Township officials face recalls.
Kalamazoo · October 19, 2026
Republican Shaun Young runs on cutting taxes and stopping data centers for Kalamazoo’s open state Senate seat against Rep. Julie Rogers
The retired hockey player wants to stop state taxes, audit state payments for fraud and keep data centers out. Rogers, a three-term House Democrat, is running on her record, leaving the 41st House seat open too.
Lansing · October 18, 2026
Macomb Clerk Anthony Forlini pitches clean voter rolls and hands-on election experience against Garlin Gilchrist for secretary of state
The Republican says the next secretary of state can’t learn the job “with training wheels.” An Oct. 1 poll had Democrat Gilchrist ahead 41% to 36%, with 18% undecided and the 2028 presidential election at stake.
Flint · October 18, 2026
Genesee County voters weigh three tax renewals worth about $22.9 million, led by a health care millage two Republicans voted against
Commissioners Shaun Shumaker and Brian Flewelling voted no on sending the health care tax to voters after it was cut to 0.8 mill. With the shelter and Mott renewals, the bill is about $80 a year on a $50,000 taxable value.
Up North · October 18, 2026
Grand Traverse County voters face a new $2.6 million-a-year trails tax, a higher 911 phone charge and a BATA renewal on Nov. 3
Two commissioners voted against sending the county’s first trails millage to voters, saying people who never use the trails shouldn’t have to pay. The 911 fee would rise to $3 a month per phone.
Port Huron · October 18, 2026
Navy veteran Andrew Beeler seeks the open 25th District Senate seat as Rep. Joe Pavlov defends the Port Huron-area House seat
Beeler, a former state representative, faces Democrat April Osentoski for Dan Lauwers’ Senate seat, while Pavlov, a co-sponsor of a 3.9% income tax rollback, faces Democrat Ken Heuvelman in the 64th.
Lansing · October 18, 2026
Republican Doug Lloyd runs on cash bail and a ‘boring’ attorney general’s office against Democrat Eli Savit
Attorney General Dana Nessel is term-limited. The Eaton County prosecutor and the Washtenaw County prosecutor split on bail, Line 5 and the office’s role in a race polls show is close.
Upper Peninsula · October 18, 2026
Republican Dave Prestin runs on energy costs and prison staffing for the U.P.’s open state Senate seat against van Ginhoven and independent Cambensy
Sen. Ed McBroom is term-limited in the 38th District, which covers most of the Upper Peninsula. Democrat Kelli van Ginhoven and former Democratic Rep. Sara Cambensy, now an independent, are also on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Thumb Coast · October 18, 2026
Huron County asks voters for a new 10-year public safety tax, three months after approving four county millages
The 0.4-mill levy would raise about $1.22 million a year for deputies, the jail, courthouse security and EMS. Lake Township is back with two road renewals that failed in August, one by a single vote.
Detroit · October 18, 2026
Republican Michael Evans pitches ‘Back to Business’ and foreclosure relief against Wayne County Executive Warren Evans
Two Evanses and an independent are on the Nov. 3 ballot. The GOP nominee promises business discipline, open contracting and a penalty-free repayment plan for tax-delinquent homeowners; the Democratic incumbent touts 11 balanced budgets.
Saginaw · October 18, 2026
Saginaw voters get an eighth chance to keep or scrap the city’s 1979 property tax cap
Proposal 1 would erase the $3.8 million ceiling on city operating tax collections that voters have defended seven times. A countywide 9-1-1 millage renewal and a puzzling Oakley police question are also on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Grand Rapids · October 17, 2026
Walker asks for a new police and fire tax as East Grand Rapids and Byron Township bring their own tax questions to voters
Walker’s 1.75-mill levy would cost the average homeowner about $203 a year for 10 years. East Grand Rapids wants $9 million toward a school-city parking deck, and Byron Township seeks a new parks tax.
Warren · October 17, 2026
Bouchard, Hines face off for Macomb’s open 10th District seat, a toss-up that could help decide the House
Republican Michael Bouchard, an Army veteran backed by police groups, runs on border security, manufacturing and parents’ rights. Democrat Christina Hines leads in fundraising in a district Trump carried by six points.
Lansing · October 17, 2026
John James pitches an income tax cut and local say on data centers in his final debate with Jocelyn Benson
In Thursday’s final debate in Detroit, the Republican promised to cut Michigan’s 4.25% income tax “into the threes” and blamed eight years of Democratic control in Lansing. Benson, the Democrat, tied James to President Trump and touted a plan to lower health care costs.
Blue Water Area · October 17, 2026
Yale schools return with a smaller $20 million bond as western St. Clair County towns ask to keep police, fire and road taxes
Six months after voters turned down $32 million, Yale Public Schools asks for $20 million. Memphis, Yale, Capac, Burtchville, Casco and Emmett Township also have tax questions on the Nov. 3 ballot, including a 20-year Headlee override.
Muskegon · October 17, 2026
Muskegon County’s new parks tax, sent to voters over a Republican commissioner’s no vote, tops a ballot with three township fire levies
The 0.5-mill, 10-year parks and trails tax would raise about $3.6 million to $3.7 million a year and end county park entry fees; Blue Lake, Casnovia and Dalton townships ask for fire money. Commissioner Kim Cyr cast the lone no vote.
Kalamazoo · October 17, 2026
Cooper Township’s first fire tax, a Comstock deputy levy and two school bonds top Kalamazoo County’s Nov. 3 ballot
Cooper asks for 2 new mills to build a $2.5 million firehouse and run its department; Comstock wants to renew 0.992 mill for sheriff’s deputies; Parchment seeks $41 million and Comstock schools $23.7 million. The county GOP guide endorses none of the millages.
Jackson · October 17, 2026
Former Mayor Derek Dobies faces citizen watchdog John Wilson in Jackson’s Nov. 3 mayoral race
The top two from August’s five-candidate primary both put neighborhood streets first; Dobies also pushes more police and fiscal restraint, while Wilson wants general-obligation bonds and a ban on downtown encampments.
Ann Arbor · October 17, 2026
Ann Arbor voters decide whether to keep paying $21 million a year in street and sidewalk taxes through 2032
Proposals A and B renew existing levies, not new ones: up to 2.125 mills for street, bridge and sidewalk repair and 0.20 mill for new sidewalks, about $232.50 a year per $100,000 of taxable value.
Flint · October 17, 2026
Flint voters decide whether to renew the city’s police and fire tax, plus transit and parks levies, at slightly lower rates
None of the three renewals is a tax increase. The largest, a 5.9568-mill public safety levy, would raise about $6.53 million a year, and Headlee rollbacks trimmed every rate after property values outpaced inflation.
Warren · October 17, 2026
Macomb County voters decide SMART bus, veterans’ services and Detroit Zoo millages on Nov. 3
The transit question would replace an expiring 0.95-mill levy with 0.94 mill for five years, raising about $39.2 million in its first year, with 12.5% returned to local communities including Warren.
Tri-Cities · October 17, 2026
Ottawa County asks for its first parks millage increase in 30 years, and Grand Haven schools return with a $98.55 million bond
Voters renewed the 0.33-mill parks levy in August. The new 0.20-mill question would pay for trails, restrooms and land. Ferrysburg has a street millage and two charter amendments.
Detroit · October 17, 2026
Wayne County voters decide a Detroit Zoo renewal and a new tax for the Wright Museum, Detroit Historical Museum and Dossin
The zoo question renews 0.10 mill for 2028 through 2037. The new 0.2-mill museum authority tax would raise about $12.2 million a year, with 15% set aside for other Wayne County history museums.
Bay City · October 17, 2026
Bay County Library System asks voters to renew the millage that supplies about 86% of its operating money
The six-year, 1.7399-mill renewal would raise about $6.7 million in its first year. The library says losing it would mean layoffs and building closures starting in 2027.
Upper Peninsula · October 17, 2026
Seven candidates, including Mayor Paul Schloegel, run for three Marquette City Commission seats with housing the top issue
Six of the seven met at a League of Women Voters forum at Lakeview Arena. The winners serve three-year terms on the nonpartisan commission, which picks the mayor from its members.
Up North · October 17, 2026
Traverse City voters weigh a 20-year extension of the downtown TIF that would send 30% of new tax growth back to local governments
The current TIF 97 plan expires at the end of 2027. City Proposal 1 would extend it through 2047 with a 70/30 split and a project list led by Boardman-Ottaway river restoration.
Grand Rapids · October 17, 2026
Kent County voters decide a 20-year jail tax increase and a 10-year renewal for John Ball Zoo and the Public Museum
The corrections proposal would raise the rate to 0.98 mill, about $24.68 more a year per $100,000 of taxable value. The zoo and museum question renews a levy first approved in 2016.
Lansing · October 17, 2026
Six candidates are on the ballot for two Michigan Supreme Court seats, but two of them could not take office if elected
Justices Megan Cavanagh and Noah Hood face judges Casandra Morse-Bills and Michael D. Warren Jr. The two U.S. Taxpayers Party nominees are not attorneys, which the constitution requires of justices.
Lansing · October 17, 2026
Proposal 2 would bar campaign donations from Michigan’s regulated utilities and large government contractors
The citizen-initiated law would also require donor disclosure for more political ads and “paid for by” lines online. Supporters call it a check on pay-to-play politics; opponents, including Consumers Energy, call it overly broad and likely unconstitutional.
Lansing · October 17, 2026
Proposal 1 asks Michigan voters whether to call a convention to rewrite the state constitution
The question goes on the ballot automatically every 16 years and was rejected in 1978, 1994 and 2010. A yes vote would mean electing 148 delegates in 2027; the Senate Fiscal Agency puts one cost estimate at about $10.2 million.
Kalamazoo · October 16, 2026
Kalamazoo’s healthcare charter proposal would have a city panel track how lawmakers vote, and the mayor questions who is paying for it
The petition-driven amendment would create a seven-member committee to write a Healthcare Action Plan every two years. Its backers have reported $1.4 million from three out-of-state groups.
Thumb Coast · October 16, 2026
Seven Sanilac County townships and villages ask for road, fire or safety millages Nov. 3, and Yale tries again on a $20 million bond
Speaker Township voters face two tax increases, the Village of Lexington wants 3 mills for public safety, and Peck asks to sell parts of a park.
Blue Water Area · October 16, 2026
Marine City voters decide Nov. 3 on a 2.5-mill public safety tax the city says would cost the average parcel about $158 a year
The three-year levy is projected to raise $366,642 in its first year, mostly for fire protection. It reached the ballot after commissioners dropped a bigger tax plan in May and residents petitioned for a vote.
Flint · October 16, 2026
Flint Township voters will weigh renaming the township Oak Hills on Nov. 3
The Nov. 3 question is advisory. Even if voters say yes, the township board still has to approve a rename that supporters say would take effect Jan. 1, 2028.
Bedford Township · October 12, 2026
Four candidates are running for three Bedford school board seats, and at least one newcomer will win
Two incumbents and two challengers seek three four-year Bedford Public Schools board seats on the Nov. 3 ballot; early voting opens Oct. 24.
Blue Water Area · October 8, 2026
St. Clair’s council wards draw the Blue Water Area’s busiest city races, while Algonac and Marine City candidates run unopposed
The county’s candidate list for Nov. 3 shows contested council races in St. Clair, Marysville and Memphis, and no more names than seats in Algonac or Marine City.
Jackson · October 8, 2026
Jackson voters will pick a city treasurer Nov. 3, then decide whether they should keep picking one
A charter amendment on the same ballot would make the treasurer a City Council appointee starting Dec. 1, 2028. The sitting treasurer opposes it.
Muskegon · October 8, 2026
Muskegon County asks voters for a 10-year parks tax and promises to drop its $7 park entry fee
The half-mill Parks and Trails Millage on the Nov. 3 ballot would raise about $3.68 million a year. Up to 30% would go to cities, villages and townships.
Jackson · October 8, 2026
Jackson County asks voters to double its 911 fee on every phone line to replace first responders’ radios
The Nov. 3 proposal would raise the monthly charge from $1.50 to as much as $3 starting in July 2027. Commissioners sent it to the ballot on a 5-3 vote.
Lansing · October 7, 2026
Lansing asks voters to restore its full 20-mill levy for police, fire and roads
The Nov. 3 question would lift the city’s essential services levy by 0.7786 mill for five years and raise about $2.59 million in its first year, according to the ballot language.
Bedford Township · October 7, 2026
Bedford Township asks voters for a new 1-mill fire tax to replace trucks, gear and stations
The Nov. 3 proposal would raise about $1.58 million in its first year for Fire Department equipment, vehicles and buildings, with collections starting in 2028 and running 10 years.
Port Huron · October 7, 2026
Two incumbents and four first-time candidates chase three Port Huron council seats on Nov. 3
With Conrad Haremza stepping aside, at least one newcomer joins the council. Housing costs, e-bikes on downtown sidewalks and friction at City Hall keep coming up, and a three-way mayor’s race shares the ballot.
Bedford Township · October 6, 2026
Bedford Township sets one early voting site for all 14 precincts, open Oct. 24 to Nov. 1
Voters can cast ballots at the Government Center on Jackman Road from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily ahead of the Nov. 3 election. A free Fall Family Fest is Oct. 17.
Ann Arbor · October 5, 2026
Ann Arbor council backs a legal challenge to the city power proposal
A revised resolution dropped its call for a no vote but still directs the city attorney to challenge Proposal E.
Kalamazoo · October 5, 2026
A week at the Kalamazoo library on how voting works
Voter-registration help, sample ballots and early-voting tips through Oct. 9, plus an election-security display through Oct. 16 at the Central Library.
The Mitten Daily does not endorse candidates or ballot questions. Dates and links come from state and county election officials; always confirm your own ballot with your local election office. See an error? Request a correction.