Michiganders don’t need a constitutional convention to change state law

If a majority of Michiganders oppose Prop 1 on their ballots this fall, that does not mean ‘no constitutional changes ever.’ Here’s what Michigan can still change without a “con-con”—and how.

Lucas Henkel

September 8, 2026

If no “con-con” is held, Michigan voters can use a citizen-initiated ballot measure process to introduce amendments instead of a full constitutional rewrite. Photo Courtesy SeventyFour/Getty Images via Canva

Everyday Michiganders have amended Michigan’s Constitution more than two dozen times in the past 94 years. And as voters face a ballot question in November over whether or not to hold a “con-con”—a constitutional convention to rewrite the state’s constitution—it’s worth taking a look at what can be accomplished if Michiganders oppose the proposal on their ballots.

If the proposal passes, it would trigger a convention in Lansing in October 2027. During this time, 148 elected delegates would be able to propose changes to the state Constitution, from minor tweaks to a complete rewrite with no set agenda, guardrails, or timeline for how long the process would take—and when the delegates finish their revisions, Michiganders would be asked to give final approval in a special election.

If no “con-con” is held, Michigan voters can use a citizen-initiated ballot measure process to introduce amendments instead of a full constitutional rewrite. The process allows Michiganders to propose statutes or constitutional amendments and, if they collect enough signatures before an election, those measures are placed on the state’s ballot.

If more than 50% of people vote in favor of the ballot measure, it becomes law 10 days later, and it can’t be vetoed by the governor—giving registered Michigan voters more collective power than the State Legislature.

That’s what happened in 2018, when Michigan voters passed a measure legalizing recreational cannabis use. Ten years after Michigan voters approved another citizen-initiated ballot measure that legalized access to medicinal cannabis, over 2.3 million votes were cast in favor of Prop 1, making Michigan the first state in the Midwest to legalize the possession and use of recreational cannabis for those over the age of 21. The proposal also enacted the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act, which required a 10% tax on commercial cannabis sales and mandated that revenue from the tax be distributed to communities across the state.

Last year, Michigan’s cannabis industry brought over $3 billion in revenue to the state through hundreds of active cannabis licenses. As a result, nearly $94 million from the “weed tax” was distributed among 313 local government entities and tribes across Michigan.

In 2022, Michigan voters approved Prop 2, a citizen-initiated ballot measure that contained a package of bills expanding election and voting rights in the Great Lakes State. This included giving Michiganders the ability to check the status of their ballots online, requiring nine days of early voting before each statewide and federal election, and allowing Michiganders to use their US passport, tribal photo ID card, military ID card, or student ID to identify themselves when they show up to vote.

These changes have contributed to higher voter turnout, including at the recent August primary. During that time, more than 2.5 million votes were cast, with over half submitted via absentee ballot.

Michigan voters passed another citizen-initiated ballot measure in 2022 that gave Michiganders a constitutional right to reproductive freedom.

“Under this constitutional amendment, women in Michigan can rest assured that they will have the freedom to make their own choices about their reproductive health, including whether to have a pregnancy, whether to end a pregnancy through an abortion, and how they access reproductive health care and contraception,” wrote Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in an executive directive a month after voters approved Prop 3.

As a result, state lawmakers have built on the proposal to expand reproductive health access—which has been welcomed as Michiganders face reproductive health care barriers due to federal funding cuts.

Michigan voters have another chance to amend the state constitution this fall

On Nov. 3, in addition to the constitutional convention question, Michigan voters will vote on a citizen-initiated ballot proposal that aims to ban political donations from the state’s biggest utility companies, like DTE, Consumers Energy, and other large corporations profiting from government contracts.

If passed, the “Mop Up Michigan” ballot proposal would also ban corporations with more than $250,000 a year in government contracts from donating to the state legislators who oversee them. It would also force so-called “dark money” groups to disclose who’s funding political ads that try to sway elections.

To see what will be on your ballot this year, or to check your voter registration and find your polling location, go to gandernewsroom.com/voter-registration.

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