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Michigan Voting By Mail Initiative (2016)
| Michigan Voting By Mail Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 8, 2016 | |
| Topic Elections and campaigns | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin Citizens |
The Voting By Mail Initiative was not put on the November 8, 2016, ballot in Michigan as an initiated constitutional amendment.
The measure would have required all elections to be conducted by mail. Voters would have received ballots in the mail and could return them either by mail or at designated drop boxes.[1]
Text of measure
Ballot summary
The ballot summary was as follows:[1]
| “ |
A proposal to amend the state constitution of 1963, by amending section 4 of article II, to establish voting by mail for all Michigan registered voters. All elections shall be conducted by mail. Voters may drop their ballots off at city and township designated official drop boxes. All votes by mail must be received by 6pm local time on election day. City and township election offices shall collect ballots from post offices at their closing time and from drop boxes at 8pm on election day. The full text of the proposal appears on the reverse side of the petition along with the provisions of the existing constitution that are altered or abrogated by the proposal.[2] |
” |
Full text
The full text of the measure could be found here.
| Voting on elections and campaigns | ||||
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| Ballot measures | ||||
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| Not on ballot | ||||
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Support
The campaign leading support for the initiative was Let's Vote, Michigan!, a nonpartisan grassroots group.[3]
Arguments in favor
Let's Vote, Michigan! argued on its website:
| “ | We want voting to be easy, for everyone. Three states, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado now vote by mail.
By changing Michigan to a vote-by-mail state, we believe citizens can change the future of politics, for the better.[2] |
” |
Opposition
Ballotpedia did not find arguments against the measure. If you are aware of opposition, please email it to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Path to the ballot
Supporters filed the petition with the secretary of state on July 28, 2015, and was approved by the Board of State Canvassers on July 30, 2015. An amended version was filed on September 3, 2015, and approved September 17, 2015.[4] Supporters needed to collect 315,654 signatures by July 11, 2016, in order to qualify the initiative for the 2016 ballot. No signatures were submitted for the initiative petition.[5]
State profile
| Demographic data for Michigan | ||
|---|---|---|
| Michigan | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 9,917,715 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 56,539 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 79% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 14% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.6% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 4.7% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.6% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 26.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $49,576 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 20% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Michigan. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Michigan
Michigan voted for the Democratic candidate in four out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, 12 are located in Michigan, accounting for 5.83 percent of the total pivot counties.[6]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Michigan had 11 Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 6.08 and 4.00 of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Michigan coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Michigan
- United States congressional delegations from Michigan
- Public policy in Michigan
- Endorsers in Michigan
- Michigan fact checks
- More...
See also
- Michigan 2016 ballot measures
- 2016 ballot measures
- Michigan Legislature
- List of Michigan ballot measures
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Michigan Secretary of State, "Initiative Petition Amendment to the Constitution," accessed November 25, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Let's Vote, Michigan, "Homepage," accessed November 25, 2015
- ↑ MI SOS, "STATE OF MICHIGAN STATEWIDE BALLOT PROPOSALS," accessed November 27, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "Let's Vote Michigan!," accessed July 28, 2016
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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