A constitutional convention isn’t out of the question 

In years past, any talk of voters blowing up state government through a state constitutional convention wasn’t serious. 

Every 16 years, the question showed up on our ballots, as required, and was met with a deafening yawn.  

“That’s a lot of hassle.” “Everything is fine.” “Why bother?” 

The results said it all. In 1978, 76% said no. In 1994, it was 72%. In 2010? 66%.  

This year …  those arguments don’t carry the same weight. 

Whether you’re talking to a MAGA Republican, a Bernie Sanders Democrat or politically homeless independents, one theme keeps coming up: The system is rigged for politically connected insiders while everyone else gets squeezed. 

Votes on the far left of the political spectrum aren’t dissimilar from the MAGA movement, once you cross the political dark side of the moon. They push back against authority.  

Leaders promised change to only become part of the problem. The rich get richer. Everybody else is struggling to get by. 

Increasingly, you’re hearing the answer: Throw out the bums. Torch the system. Start all over again. Support for Bernie Sanders-backed U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is growing. The discontent over big business data centers is becoming a bipartisan rallying cry. There’s agitation over rising electric rates. The money-out-of-politics ballot proposal gathered a whopping 562,068 signatures. 

“Our internal polling shows a surprising number of folks willing to consider a Con-Con,” Justin Mendoza of Progress Michigan told MIRS. “Enough that we don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility that it could pass if folks don’t understand the impact.” 

The question will read something like this: 

“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.” 

For voters who believe the system itself is broken, a constitutional convention isn’t a threat. It’s the point. 

People are already talking about changes to the constitution they’d like to see: 

 – Requiring the Governor to fill a legislative vacancy within a limited number of days in response to Whitmer holding open the 35^th Senate District for nearly a year and a half. 

– Allowing the governor to appoint the Boards at the University Michigan, Michigan State and Wayne State, just as she does every other college in the state. I’m not convinced this reform would be an improvement, but there’s been plenty of talk about it after Guskiewicz said “C-YA!”  

 – While, we’re at it, should we have voters decide Republican and Democratic nominees for Attorney General and Secretary of state? 

 – Supreme Court justices make less than appellate court judges and will soon make less than trial court judges. That makes no sense and could be readjusted through a con-con. 

Opponents to a Constitutional Convention claim this would trigger some cloistered con-fab. Those people still alive from the 1963 Con-Con say it was open debate all the time. 

A Con-Con means 148 elected people will convene (likely in the Lansing Center) for weeks on end until they come up with a new Constitution. Voters would vote yes or no on the final product. 

Those with a vested interest are lining up to protect the status quo. 

The pro-choice, voting rights and redistricting reform groups don’t want to see the reforms they made through recent constitutional amendments brought back up for debate. 

Business groups don’t like the uncertainty of breaking open the state’s governing document. Other interest groups don’t want the expense of having to follow and lobby both a 148-member state Legislature AND a 148-delegate Constitutional Convention.

They will spare no expense to try to defeat this sucker. They should be successful. There is unlikely to be a well-funded “yes” campaign, and voters generally default to “no” when facing a ballot proposal that they’re uncertain about. 

But Donald Trump wasn’t supposed to win. Bernie Sanders wasn’t supposed to win Michigan’s Democratic primary in 2016, either. 

And both happened during a much less politically volatile time.