LANSING — A Michigan state board approved two new constitutional amendments last week that could be on next year’s ballot.
The proposals would change Michigan’s voting system to ‘ranked-choice’ and establish a new tax to increase school funding.
Voters may soon be asked to support new ballot initiatives by signing a petition in support. If the proposals gain enough support, they could appear on the 2026 ballot.
Ranked-choice voting is a method where voters rank their preferred candidates in a race, usually 1-5. The candidate with the lowest support in each round is cut, and their votes are distributed according to the preferences of their supporters.
If you ranked a candidate as your first pick and they were eliminated, then your vote would go to the candidate you ranked at number two — or, if they’re out of the race as well, then the next candidate down your ranking.
Voters can rank as few candidates as they would like. The process continues until one candidate reaches 50% of the vote.
“This constitutional amendment is fundamentally changing the way that voting is done in Michigan,” said Richard Houskamp, Republican chair of the Board of State Canvassers.
Supporters say that the policy allows voters to better reflect their feelings and to simply vote for candidates they support.
“By requiring a majority through RCV, voters can finally vote their conscience rather than voting strategically against the candidate whom they most fear,” said Jordan Green, a volunteer with the Rank MI Vote campaign.
Opponents say that the system is overly complicated and could intimidate some voters away from the process.
“Every time you do a round of ranked choice voting, you have some some voters, votes being redistributed because they rank someone second, or third, or fourth, or fifth, depending on where you are in the process,” said Trent England, executive director of Save our States. “And some voters will be kicked out of the election.”
Another initiative would establish a new tax for income over $500,000 for an individual, or $1 million for a couple.
Any earnings over these amounts would be taxed at an additional 5%, while income from all ranges would still be subject to the state’s 4.25% income tax.
“The surcharge will raise an estimated $1 billion each year for Michigan’s public schools, money that will go to our children and educators to ensure that the next generation thrives and makes Michigan’s economy even stronger,” said Rowan Conybeare, a lawyer with the Invest in MI Kids campaign.
Both of the initiatives need nearly 450,000 valid signatures to appear on the ballot and could only be undone by another amendment if approved by voters.
Michigan state law does not require petition circulators to be truthful about what they’re asking you to sign, so make sure to read carefully before you sign anything.