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The November 2026 midterm elections are rapidly approaching, and they will be incredibly important to the future of Michigan.
The state will elect a new governor after eight years of Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, and a new U.S. senator after 12 years of Democrat Gary Peters. The state’s several competitive congressional races will help determine which party controls the U.S. House, and control of the state legislature in Lansing is also up in the air. And that’s before you even get to multiple key ballot measures and less well-known, but highly influential, offices like the Michigan Supreme Court.
Below is a guide to everything on the Michigan ballot this fall, with links to Votebeat’s and Bridge Michigan’s coverage:
Governor
The governor’s race this fall is between Democrat Jocelyn Benson and Republican John James. Minor party candidates include Donna Brandenburg of the U.S. Taxpayers Party, Douglas Campbell of the Green Party, and Anthony Hudson of the Libertarian Party.
Benson has served two terms as Michigan secretary of state, the state’s highest election official. James, meanwhile, has spent two terms as the representative for Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, based in Macomb County. He previously ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2020.
Secretary of state
Michigan’s next secretary of state will likely be either Republican Anthony Forlini, currently the Macomb County clerk, or Democrat Garlin Gilchrist, who has served for two terms as lieutenant governor. Minor party candidates include Scott E. Aughney of the U.S. Taxpayers Party, Eric Borregard of the Green Party, and Christine Sloan of the Libertarian Party.
The secretary of state is responsible for managing statewide elections and the state’s voter roll.
More on the secretary of state race:
- Anthony Forlini wins Republican nomination for Michigan secretary of state (March 28)
- Garlin Gilchrist wins Democratic nomination for secretary of state (April 19)
Attorney general
The attorney general is Michigan’s top law enforcement official and lawyer. Incumbent Dana Nessel, a Democrat, can’t run again due to term limits, so the office is open. Republican Doug Lloyd, the Eaton County prosecutor, is squaring off with Democrat Eli Savitz, the Washtenaw County prosecutor.
Minor party candidates include Doug Dern of the Natural Law Party, Jason Dye of the Libertarian Party, John Perry Ludtke Jr. of the U.S. Taxpayers Party, and Jeff Polonowski of the Green Party.
U.S. Senate
Michigan this year will elect a new U.S. senator to a six-year term after Peters declined to run for reelection. Republican Mike Rogers, a former U.S. representative, will face Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, the former director of Wayne County’s Department of Health, Human, and Veteran Services.
Minor party candidates include Lydia Christensen of the Libertarian Party, Walter P. Kristy of the Natural Law Party, Tim Long of the U.S. Taxpayers Party, and Douglas P. Marsh of the Green Party.
National analysts expect this race to be one of a handful that will determine which party controls the Senate next year.
U.S. House
Every member of the U.S. House is up for election this fall. You can find your current representative here, and the candidates who will appear on your ballot here.
Michigan Legislature
Every seat in both the Michigan Senate and the Michigan House is up for election this year. Currently, Democrats control the state Senate and Republicans control the state House, but both chambers are considered at risk of flipping.
You can look up your local senator here and your local representative here. You can find the candidates on your ballot here.
More on elections for the legislature:
State Board of Education
Two of the eight members of the Michigan State Board of Education, which is in charge of public education throughout the state, are also up for election. The board currently has a 6-2 Democratic majority, but that could change to a 4-4 tie if Republicans win both seats.
The major party candidates are Democratic incumbents Judith Pritchett and Tiffany Tilley and Republican challengers Bree Moeggenberg and Terence Collins. Minor party candidates include Charles Essner of the Libertarian Party, William Mohr II and Christine C. Schwartz of the U.S. Taxpayers Party, Wissam Charafeddine of the Green Party, Mary Anne Hering of the Working Class Party, and Kelli Monroe of the Natural Law Party.
You can vote for any two candidates.
University leaders
Michigan elects the members of three university governing boards. For the University of Michigan, voters select two regents. For Michigan State University, voters select two trustees. Finally, for Wayne State University, voters select two governors. All are elected statewide.
The two elected candidates will go on to join a team of eight leaders at each school. The University of Michigan and Michigan State University boards both have a 6-2 Democratic majority, while Wayne State University has a 5-3 Democratic majority.
You can find the candidates on your ballot here.
Michigan Supreme Court and other judges
Two Michigan Supreme Court justices, Megan Cavanagh and Noah Hood, are up for reelection this year. These races are officially nonpartisan, but the candidates are nominated at party conventions. Cavanagh and Hood were nominated at the Democratic convention, and their opponents, Casandra Morse-Bills and Michael D. Warren Jr., were nominated at the Republican convention.
Morse-Bills is presiding judge in Oscoda County Circuit Court, while Warren is a judge in Michigan’s 6th Circuit Court.
A number of intermediate appellate court judges will also be on the ballot, but the specifics will depend on where you live. You can look up the specifics in the Michigan Voter Information Center.
Local elections and questions
Depending on where you live, you might have local races for city council, local courts, or county executives, on your ballot. You may also see a number of local ballot measures, such as whether local elections should be moved to even-numbered years, as East Lansing is considering, or bonds for school facilities, like in Royal Oak.
You can check the local races and issues on your ballot in the Michigan Voter Information Center.
Proposal 1 (constitutional convention)
Michiganders will also vote on two statewide ballot measures this year, starting with whether Michigan should hold a constitutional convention — colloquially known as a “con-con” — to revise the state’s fundamental governing document. This question is required to be on the ballot every 16 years.
The language on the ballot will read:
A proposal to convene a constitutional convention for the purpose of drafting a general revision of the state constitution. Shall a convention of elected delegates be convened in 2027 to draft a general revision of the state constitution for presentation to the state’s voters for their approval or rejection?
Voters will get to choose yes or no.
A yes vote is one in favor of starting the process of rewriting the state’s constitution. The entire document would be rewritten over a period of months (or longer) by representatives chosen by voters across the state.
Even if voters approve a convention, that is not a guarantee the constitution would change. The final document would go before voters when it is completed for another yes-or-no vote. Only if it is approved would it replace the current constitution.
No official campaigns have filed paperwork with the state in support of a constitutional convention. That said, a number of prominent Republican legislators have suggested their support for it.
A no vote is one in favor of leaving the state’s constitution as written.
There is money and lobbying power behind an effort to encourage voters to vote no on the convention. The group Protect MI Constitution From Special Interests, made up of a multitude of business groups, voting rights groups, and more, has raised more than $860,000 to oppose the convention effort, according to state campaign finance reports.
A number of candidates running for office this fall from both major parties also are against a convention.
More on what a constitutional convention could look like in Michigan:
Proposal 2 (Michiganders for Money Out of Politics)
The second ballot measure is known as Michiganders for Money Out of Politics (often abbreviated as MMOP). This is a proposed law — not a constitutional amendment — that would stop utility companies and large government contractors from donating to political campaigns for officials who could impact their contracts.
The language on the ballot will read:
A proposed initiated law to prohibit campaign contributions from certain regulated utilities and government contractors and apply campaign finance laws and regulations to additional types of political communications.
The proposal would:
- Prohibit regulated electric and gas utilities, contractors with over $250,000 annually in government contracts, and people and organizations with substantial connections to these utilities/contractors from making direct or indirect campaign contributions to those who run for or hold offices that impact them.
- Expand laws regulating spending on political communications, including those requiring disclosing donor information, to apply to communications clearly identifying candidates or ballot questions, even if they do not expressly advocate voting for/against them.
- Expressly apply the law requiring disclosure of who paid for political communications to internet political communications.
Should this proposal be adopted?
A yes vote is one in favor of making the proposal law in Michigan — no governor signature required. It would be more difficult to overturn than a typical law, requiring three-quarters of each chamber to vote to amend or overturn it.
The committee pushing MMOP has raised more than $7.3 million, according to campaign finance filings. Its largest donors included progressive groups such as the Massachusetts-based All Hands on Deck Network (which donated more than $3 million) and the Washington, D.C.-based Sixteen Thirty Fund (which donated $700,000).
A no vote is one against putting the proposal into state law.
MMOP is opposed by a group called Protect MI Free Speech, which has raised more than $570,000, largely from business groups. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Comcast Financial Agency Corp., CMS Energy (best known by its subsidiary, Consumers Energy), and a number of other prominent business groups all gave at least $65,000 to oppose MMOP. Michigan Energy First, a group heavily linked to DTE Energy, also gave $50,000, according to campaign finance filings.
Hayley Harding is a reporter for Votebeat based in Michigan. Contact Hayley at hharding@votebeat.org.
