Lansing voters decide whether to write a healthcare board into the city charter, one that would report how their state and federal lawmakers vote

LANSING, Mich. — Lansing voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to amend the city charter to create a Citizens’ Advisory Healthcare Action Board, a panel that would write a Healthcare Action Plan every two years, including a report on how the city’s state and federal lawmakers voted on health care.

The question reached the ballot by petition. The advocacy campaign behind it gathered more than 7,000 signatures, and the City Council voted in August to send it to voters, WILX News 10 reported.

What the ballot asks. The ballot language asks whether the charter should “mandate the creation” of the board to create a Lansing Healthcare Action Plan and make recommendations “to address healthcare costs and healthcare inaccessibility,” and to require “the publication, a public overview, and recommendations for implementation in the community” of the plan. A yes vote adds the board to the charter; a no vote leaves the charter as it is. The ballot language includes no cost estimate.

What the board would do. Under the amendment text, the board would hold multiple community forums each year, compile health care data, and assess how federal, state and local policies have affected costs and access. It would also “identify how the City’s federal and state representatives voted on relevant policy decisions” and measure their “actions or inactions” against the previous plan. The City Council would have to publish each plan by Oct. 1 of every even-numbered year, about a month before each state and federal general election, and hold a special meeting with the board by Oct. 15 to review it.

What the city can’t do. Before sending it to the ballot, the council amended the wording to make clear the city would have no power to carry out the plan’s recommendations. “The plan describes a path for implementation, but the city cannot be the body that does that implementing,” City Attorney Gregory Venker told WILX.

Who is behind it. The campaign website for the Lansing measure, run by City Action Michigan, is aimed at U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, the Republican whose district includes Lansing. It says Barrett voted “to slash $1.1 trillion from Medicaid and take away middle-class healthcare tax credits, all to hand billionaires a tax break,” and tells residents, “It’s time for Lansing to fight back.” The site says it is paid for by City Action Michigan from a Kalamazoo address. WILX reported in August that similar efforts were underway in five other Michigan cities, including East Lansing; Kalamazoo voters face a similar charter question.

Also on Lansing’s ballot. City voters will also decide whether to restore the city’s essential services levy to the full 20 mills for police, fire and roads, a question The Mitten Daily covered Oct. 7.

How to vote. Online and mail registration closed Monday, Oct. 19. Residents can still register in person at their city or township clerk’s office with proof of residency, through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Statewide early in-person voting runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 1; check with your city or township clerk for early voting sites and hours. Absentee ballot applications are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 30 by mail or online, or by 4 p.m. Nov. 2 in person at the clerk’s office. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. County canvasses must finish by Nov. 17, and the Board of State Canvassers certifies statewide results by Nov. 23. Voters can check their registration and see their sample ballot at Michigan.gov/Vote.

Sources:
City of Lansing ballot question, “Citizens’ Advisory Healthcare Action Board Charter Amendment,” as printed on the Nov. 3, 2026, sample ballot (Michigan Voter Information Center), via The Gist, https://thegist.vote/question/2026-general-mi/ingham-lansing-city-city-of-lansing-citizens-advisory-healthcare-ac; sample ballots at https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/
Ballotpedia, “Lansing, Michigan, Creation of Citizens’ Advisory Healthcare Action Board Measure (November 2026),” https://ballotpedia.org/Lansing,_Michigan,_Creation_of_Citizens%27_Advisory_Healthcare_Action_Board_Measure_(November_2026)
WILX News 10, “Lansing City Council sends healthcare advisory board proposal to November ballot,” Aug. 11, 2026, https://www.wilx.com/2026/08/11/lansing-city-council-sends-healthcare-advisory-board-proposal-november-ballot/
City Action Michigan, Lansing campaign page and petition language, https://cityactionmichigan.com/lansing/
The Mitten Daily, Kalamazoo healthcare charter proposal, Oct. 16, 2026, https://themittendaily.com/stories/kalamazoo-healthcare-action-plan-charter-proposal-nov-3-1016.html
The Mitten Daily, Lansing essential services millage, Oct. 7, 2026, https://themittendaily.com/stories/lansing-essential-services-millage-police-fire-1007.html
Michigan Department of State, “Absentee voting” and election calendar (registration, early voting and absentee deadlines), https://www.michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/absentee-voting
Photo: w_lemay, “Lansing City Hall, Michigan Avenue and Capitol Avenue, Lansing, MI.jpg,” Sept. 8, 2024, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lansing_City_Hall,_Michigan_Avenue_and_Capitol_Avenue,_Lansing,_MI.jpg

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Tags: Lansing · Election 2026 · City Charter · Health Care · Ballot Proposals · Tom Barrett