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Opinion | Think budget stalemate is scary? Approving a ‘con-con’ in 2026 would be worse
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Confusion. Congestion. Chaos. Crisis.
Those are just a few descriptors for the ongoing, frustrating stalemate over the state budget in Lansing as legislative leaders and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer continue to work on the details of a comprehensive state spending plan even after the new fiscal year started on Oct. 1.
The current state budget snarl has everyone from school leaders across Michigan worried about their ability to cover costs at the start of a new academic year to skilled trades workers concerned about their jobs that depend on critical funding for road projects.
Think this situation is bad? Just wait.
This summer’s budget debacle could be just a warm-up act if Michigan voters were fooled into approving Proposal 1 on the 2026 ballot, which would approve a constitutional convention.
That’s because a constitutional convention, commonly known as a con-con, is really a long-drawn-out process that would create gridlock in Michigan for at least two years. A yes vote would start a lengthy process that includes everything from selecting delegates in costly, divisive, highly partisan special elections to opening up every single word of the Michigan Constitution to changes.
A con‑con ultimately creates years of economic and regulatory uncertainty, triggering what could be years of litigation. If voters approve Proposal 1 on the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot, the state Constitution requires delegates to be elected within six months of certification. Those delegates do not convene until the following year — the first Tuesday in October 2027. Michiganders would have to go back to the voting booth again to approve any proposed constitution changes or amendments at least 90 days after delegates finish their work and adjourn.
That kind of drawn-out process will ultimately cost Michigan long-term developments and opportunities for job growth. The paralyzing process prevents businesses from making decisions about future growth, deters industries from making investments in Michigan and even keeps small mom-and-pop shops from deciding whether to hire more workers.
In and around the state Capitol these days, you hear a lot of: “We’ll get to that after we figure out the budget.” That’s because the current state budget quagmire is taking up all the bandwidth of legislators, staff members, and policymakers, freezing action on any other policy updates and regulatory reforms.
Now multiply that by 24 months and untold millions — perhaps even billions — of dollars of lost economic activity, and that is Michigan’s immediate future without voters soundly rejecting Proposal 1 in November 2026. Let’s vote no on Proposal 1 and refuse to open the door for special interests, lobbyists and Lansing insiders to bring a wrecking ball to our state constitution. Whether efforts to rewrite the Michigan Constitution come from the radical right or the far left, it is a bad idea that will lead to long-term confusion, chaos and crisis.
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