Special report

One of the most basic functions of government is to protect citizens and ensure public safety. But a series of budget reductions has eroded funding for public safety in Michigan.

In Michigan, determining how to spend the state budget – and who pays which taxes to fund such things as schools, roads, and public safety – is job one every year for the governor and 148 state legislators.

State government is a huge operation with responsibilities (and expenses) in every corner of Michigan. Paying for it all in a balanced state budget every year is one of the first and most important constitutional responsibilities of Michigan’s governor and 148 state legislators.

Michigan voters may decide as many as eight ballot measures in November 2018, from legalizing recreational marijuana to changing the way Michigan politicians are elected.

It’s a question fundamental to democracy in Michigan: How open and accountable is our state government? On a variety of fronts, the answers are troubling.

Here are the 100 facts every Michigan voter should know in this crucial 2018 election year, in which the governor and every seat in the state legislature is up for grabs.

All statistics cited throughout this guide were professionally researched by the nonpartisan staffs at Public Sector Consultants, the Center for Michigan and Bridge Magazine

When Grand Rapids Schools Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal visits schools and classrooms, she can’t help but notice the empty seats. More than one in four students missed at least 10 days with unexcused absences in 2011-12, one of the highest rates in the state. And some parents and guardians may not even realize when it’s […]