(Originally published Feb. 10, 2011) In the past decade, voters decided 664 races for seats in the Michigan Legislature. The majority of those races were never in question. Millions of votes didn’t really matter. Districts for many state representatives and senators are not competitive. Many seats are engineered for partisan advantage. A consequence is the […]
Michigan Government
Citizens cannot do their job of running their government if they don’t know what their public servants are doing.
Posted inMichigan Government
Voters back taxes on local level
Voters across Michigan continue to show themselves willing to approve tax requests for local governments and schools, though some requests fare better than others. That’s the conclusion of a Center for Michigan analysis of May 3 tax elections around the state. More than 80 percent of the tax issues for schools and local governments gained […]
Posted inMichigan Government
MSU dominates U-M in Legislature
The Michigan Legislature has voted over the years to designate a state rock (Petosky stone), a state tree (white pine) and even a state fossil (mastodon). If lawmakers decide to name a state university, Wolverine fans should be worried. There are almost twice as many Michigan State University alumni in the House and Senate than […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Statewide voters overwhelmingly pass tax levies
(Originally published Aug. 12, 2010) Faced with choices between fixing roads or paying less in taxes, Michigan voters overwhelmingly opted for smoother streets in the Aug. 3, 2010, election. They also opened their wallets for fire and police departments, for senior citizens and libraries. Across the state, voters approved 86 percent of the 623 ballot proposals […]