Three Constitutional Amendments Appear on Your Nov. 8 Ballot–Here’s a Rundown

by Julia Forrest, Michigan Advance

The Michigan Board of Canvassers last week approved ballot language for three statewide proposals before voters. 

Here’s what the constitutional amendments will do and the language that will appear on your ballot for the Nov. 8 general election:

Proposal 22-1

This constitutional amendment, Voters for Transparency and Term Limits, would change the existing term limit laws for state legislators to put a 12-year total limit on state representatives and state senators. An exception would be made for individuals elected to the senate in 2022 — they would be bound by existing limits. Current law allows lawmakers to serve up to six years in the Michigan House and an additional eight years in the Michigan Senate. 

The proposal would further ensure members of the Legislature, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and attorney general file yearly public financial disclosure reports starting in 2024. The disclosures would uncover how much was spent on assets, liabilities, income sources, future employment agreements, gifts, travel reimbursements, and positions held in organizations except religious, social and political organizations.

The approved language of Proposal 1 comes after the Michigan Legislature voted in May to put the proposal on the November ballot. That vote allowed the proposal to sidestep collecting thousands of signatures that would have otherwise been needed. 

The proposal’s official ballot language is: 

“A proposal to amend the state constitution to require annual public financial disclosure reports by legislators and other state officers and change state legislator term limit to 12 total years in legislature

This proposed constitutional amendment would:

• Require members of legislature, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and attorney general file annual public financial disclosure reports after 2023, including assets, liabilities, income sources, future employment agreements, gifts, travel reimbursements, and positions held in organizations except religious, social, and political organizations. 
• Require legislature implement but not limit or restrict reporting requirements. 
• Replace current term limits for state representatives and state senators with a 12-year total limit in any combination between house and senate, except a person elected to senate in 2022 may be elected the number of times allowed when that person became a candidate.”

Proposal 22-2

Proposal 2 is a constitutional amendment known as Promote the Vote 2022, which aims to allow for military or overseas ballots to be tallied if they are postmarked the day of the election; enable voters to verify their identity using a photo identification or signed statement; give a voter one application to cast their ballot absentee; establish state-funded absentee ballot drop boxes with postage for absentee and ballots; ensure election officials can perform post-election audits; mandate nine days of early in-person voting; permit disclosable donations to fund elections; and mandate canvass boards certify election results solely upon official records of votes cast. 

The proposal’s approval comes after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled in September to allow the proposal onto the ballot in November. The ruling followed the Board of State Canvassers deadlocking over the measure on party lines. 

Promote the Vote 2022 acquired more than 664,000 signatures in July — surpassing the more than 200,000 needed to qualify — prior to the Board of State Canvassers considering the ballot measure. The Bureau of Elections recommended the ballot measure be placed on the November ballot. 

The proposal’s official ballot language is: 

“A proposal to amend the state constitution to add provisions regarding elections.

This proposed constitutional amendment would: 

•  Recognize fundamental right to vote without harassing conduct;
• Require military or overseas ballots be counted if postmarked by election day; 
• Provide voter right to verify identity with photo ID or signed statement;
• Provide voter right to single application to vote absentee in all elections;
• Require state-funded absentee-ballot drop boxes, and postage for absentee applications and ballots; 
• Provide that only election officials may conduct post-election audits; • Require nine days of early in-person voting; 
• Allow donations to fund elections, which must be disclosed; 
• Require canvass boards certify election results based only on the official records of votes cast.” 

Proposal 22-3 

The Reproductive Freedom for All constitutional amendment would change the state Constitution to create individual rights to reproductive freedom, including the right for an individual to make decisions about pregnancy and abortion; allow for the state to regulate abortion after fetal viability but not prevent it if it is medically neccessary to the patient; prevent the prosecution of individuals carrying out their right; and disqualify state laws that conflict with the amendment. 

This constitutional amendment would repeal the 1931 law that’s on the books that makes abortion a felony in Michigan. The current law has been put on pause after a Michigan judge issued an injunction preventing its enforcement after the U.S. The Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. 

The group behind this proposal submitted 753,759 signatures — setting a record in the state. The Bureau of Elections recommended the Board of State Canvassers put the proposal on the ballot. 

Two Republican members of the Board of State Canvassers originally voted against placing the measure on the ballot until the Michigan Supreme Court stepped in to ensure they certified the results. 

The proposal’s official ballot language is: 

“A proposal to amend the state constitution to establish new individual right to reproductive freedom, including right to make all decisions about pregnancy and abortion; allow state to regulate abortion in some cases; and forbid prosecution of individuals exercising established right

• Establish new individual right to reproductive freedom, including right to make and carry out all decisions about pregnancy, such as prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion, miscarriage management, and infertility;
• Allow state to regulate abortion after fetal viability, but not prohibit if medically needed to protect a patient’s life or physical or mental health;
• Forbid state discrimination in enforcement of this right; prohibit prosecution of an individual, or a person helping a pregnant individual, for exercising rights established by this amendment;
• Invalidate state laws conflicting with this amendment.”