- AxMITax leader Karla Wagner announces her group does not have the signatures needed to make Michigan’s 2026 ballot
- The group sought to abolish all property taxes in Michigan without any real plans to backfill the expected millions in lost revenue
- Wagner’s group has tried, and failed, to make the ballot since 2024
LANSING — AxMITax, a group seeking to abolish all property taxes in Michigan, once again does not have enough valid voter signatures to make the statewide ballot, a top organizer announced Thursday.
Founder Karla Wagner said in a statement that AxMITax “fell just shy” of the 446,198 valid voter signatures it needed to collect within a 180-day window to put a constitutional amendment before voters this fall.
Wagner did not say how many signatures the group collected but thanked “our team of mostly volunteers” and argued that while this year’s effort fell short, it helped spur momentum for future property tax cuts.
“Due to the efforts of our small grassroots team, we now have the entire state of Michigan talking about property taxes,” Wagner said, adding that the goal of her group now will be to “advocate and promote the total elimination of property taxes.”
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The group has tried, and failed, to make the ballot since 2024. Critics say the plan would eliminate a critical funding source for schools and local government services.
Wagner, who is running for governor as an independent, said she will continue advocating for ending property taxes as part of her campaign, arguing that nothing short of “total elimination” would be acceptable.
AxMITax is among a series of groups that tried but failed to make this year’s ballot.
The first to bow out was Rank MI Vote in December 2025. Organizers hoped to implement ranked choice voting in Michigan, which would have allowed voters to rank candidates in order of preference.
Invest in MI Kids and Voters to Stop Paycuts later suspended their signature gathering efforts in March.
Invest in MI Kids sought to tax the rich to raise more money for schools. Voters to Stop Paycuts hoped to undo a 2025 law Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed that scaled back court-ordered increases to Michigan’s minimum wage and subminimum wage for tipped workers.
Michigan voters could still see multiple proposals on the ballot this fall, including whether they want to convene a constitutional convention to rewrite the state’s foundational document.
A group seeking to require proof of citizenship for voter registration and tighten voter identification rules has already submitted signatures to make the ballot, but they have not yet been certified by the Board of State Canvassers.
Organizers with a group trying to ban political spending by utilities and large state contractors expect to submit signatures to the state next week.
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