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Laws governing local ballot measures in Michigan

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Laws Governing Local Ballot Measures
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This page describes the state constitutional provisions and statutes that govern local ballot measures in Michigan. Jurisdictions often establish additional rules within the parameters of state law; those can be found in local ordinances and home-rule charters.

Explore the links below for more information:

Law

The Michigan Constitution and Michigan Compiled Laws establish the rules that govern local ballot measures in the state.

General

The following outlines the general rules that govern local ballot measures in Michigan, including both citizen-initiated measures and referred measures from local government bodies.

  • Vote requirements: Most local ballot measures require a simple majority vote for passage.[1]
    • Certain millages require a 2/3 vote.[2]
    • Acquiring or granting a non-revocable public-utility franchise requires a three-fifths (60%) majority of votes for approval.[3]
  • Required ballot measures:
    • New or increased local taxes (under the Headlee Amendment) require voter approval.[3][4]
    • School district bonds and many school capital millages require voter approval.[1][5]
    • Local charter adoptions and charter amendments require voter approval.[6][7]
    • The consolidation or merging of counties, or certain reductions to size of counties, require voter approval.[3]
    • The acquiring or granting of a non-revocable public-utility franchise, or selling a municipal public utility, requires voter approval.
  • Election timing: Most local ballot measures are placed on the regular election date. Local statutes may dictate whether questions appear on general elections, regular municipal elections, or special elections.[8]

Initiatives

The following outlines additional rules that govern local citizen-initiated ballot measures in Michigan.

  • Authority: All city charters may be amended through an initiative petition. This includes a single subject rule. Rejected amendments may not be resubmitted for two years.[6][7]
  • Signatures:
    • Home-rule cities have an initiative signature requirement of 5% of registered and eligible voters.[6]
    • Home-rule villages have an initiative signature requirement of 20% for local charter amendments.[7]
  • Deadlines:
    • All initiative signatures must be submitted within 90 days after the filing of the petition.[6]
    • The city or village clerk has up to 45 days to verify the signatures and certify the initiative.[6]
    • Signatures are valid up to one year.[6]
    • The question is then scheduled for the next regular or general election more than 90 days after certification.[6]
    • Special elections may also be scheduled on regular election dates if the petition requests it and has signatures from more than 20% of the population. It must be scheduled within 120 days of filing, and the clerk has 90 days to call the election.[6]

Referrals

The following outlines additional rules that govern local referred ballot measures in Michigan.

  • Authority:
    • City and village governing bodies can refer charter amendments to the ballot.[6][7]
    • County boards can refer millages, bond questions, and charter amendments.[3][9]
    • Township boards can refer millages, special assessments, and tax questions.[9]
    • School boards can refer bond questions and other millages.[1][5]
  • Deadlines:
    • Referrals must be certified to the county clerk by 4:00 PM on the twelfth Tuesday before the election, or, if certified to a clerk other than the county clerk, must be certified to the county clerk at least 82 days before the election.[8]

Laws governing local ballot measures in the U.S.

Laws governing local ballot measures in the United States

As state laws govern ballot measures, the rules are different from state to state. Click on a state below to explore that state's laws on local ballot measures.

http://ballotpedia.org/Laws_governing_local_ballot_measures_in_STATE

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Michigan Compiled Laws, "MCL Chapter 380 – Revised School Code," accessed November 6, 2025
  2. ↑ Michigan Compiled Laws, "MCL Chapter 211," accessed November 20, 2025
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Michigan Constitution, "Article VII," accessed November 6, 2025
  4. ↑ Michigan Constitution, "Article IX," accessed November 6, 2025
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Michigan Department of Treasury, "School Bond Qualification and Loan Program," accessed November 6, 2025
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Michigan Compiled Laws, "MCL Chapter 117 – Home Rule City Act," accessed November 6, 2025
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Michigan Compiled Laws, "MCL Chapter 78 – Home Rule Village Act," accessed November 6, 2025
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Michigan Compiled Laws, "MCL Chapter 168 – Michigan Election Law," accessed November 6, 2025
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ConstIX
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