A fresh statewide survey indicates that Michigan voters are expressing preliminary support for two distinct ballot initiatives scheduled for the upcoming November election, including a sweeping campaign finance reform proposal and a recurring constitutional convention question.
The findings come from a collaborative poll conducted for The Detroit News and WDIV-TV (Channel 4) by the Lansing-based Glengariff Group. Surveying 600 likely general election voters between August 31 and September 3, the research group reported an overall margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.
According to the survey results, Proposal 1—which asks electors whether Michigan should convene a statewide constitutional convention—holds an initial lead, with 47% of respondents indicating they would vote yes. Meanwhile, 31% of surveyed voters expressed opposition to the measure, and approximately 22% stated they were still undecided on how they would vote.
Under state requirements, the constitutional convention question is placed on the ballot automatically every 16 years. If approved by the public, elected delegates would gather to reopen and potentially draft extensive revisions to the Michigan Constitution of 1963.
Despite the current lead for the "yes" side, history and polling mechanics suggest the proposal faces steep obstacles before reaching the finish line. Every constitutional convention question submitted to voters since the 1963 document was ratified has ended in defeat, including the most recent vote in 2010, when 67% of Michigan voters rejected the measure.
Pollster Richard Czuba, whose firm administered the survey, pointed out that ballot propositions polling below the 50% threshold at this stage in an election cycle rarely achieve victory. Czuba noted that initiatives generally need to be hovering in the upper 50% range to survive the waves of organized political opposition that traditionally emerge closer to Election Day.
A major disadvantage confronting Proposal 1 is the complete lack of a dedicated advocacy campaign working to promote it among the public. In contrast, Czuba observed that active coalitions across the political spectrum are already organizing to encourage voters to reject the idea of rewriting the state constitution.
While the constitutional convention question faces an uncertain path, the second initiative on the ballot is demonstrating overwhelming momentum. The citizen-led Michiganders for Money out of Politics proposal registered an overwhelming 71.5% support among likely voters, with only 16% opposed and nearly 13% undecided.
If ratified by voters, the statutory proposal would institute strict prohibitions on political spending from specific corporate sectors. Most notably, it would ban political contributions from regulated monopoly utilities as well as commercial enterprises that maintain state government contracts valued at more than $250,000.
The initiative is designed to be comprehensive, ensuring that the restrictions cannot be easily circumvented. The proposed language would bar not only the corporate entities themselves, but also affiliated individuals, executives, and organizations connected to monopoly utilities and major state contractors from making campaign contributions in Michigan.
In addition to curbing direct political donations, the reform measure aims to bring greater transparency to so-called dark money organizations that influence Michigan races. The proposal expands current campaign finance disclosure requirements to mandate donor identification for a far wider variety of political advertisements.
Under existing state election laws, donor disclosure is only required for organizations that air advertisements containing express advocacy—meaning ads that explicitly direct citizens on how to cast their ballots. The new measure would expand disclosure mandates to cover advertisements that clearly identify specific candidates, effectively capturing dark money entities that previously shielded their contributors from public view.
Czuba highlighted the unusually wide bipartisan consensus supporting the campaign finance overhaul, comparing its broad public appeal to the 2022 ballot measure that revamped term limits and mandated personal financial disclosures for elected officials. That 2022 proposal achieved a decisive victory, passing with 66% of the vote.
The pollster attributed the initiative's broad popularity to effective framing and precise language that directly confronts corporate entities viewed unfavorably by the public. By focusing on monopoly utilities and large government contractors, the measure has successfully tapped into voter frustration across all ideological groups.
Given the substantial majority backing the money-in-politics measure, Czuba emphasized that opponents would face an uphill battle to turn the tide before November. Dismantling such widespread, bipartisan voter backing would necessitate an extraordinary financial effort, leaving it doubtful whether opponents could assemble the required resources.
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