Updates About Elections

In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the “independent state legislature theory” in Moore v. Harper.

The case stems from North Carolina’s most-recently drawn congressional map, which was argued to be racially gerrymandered. The North Carolina Supreme Court had ruled that the map was in violation of the state’s constitution, but others argued that the independent state legislature theory allowed the map to be valid. This theory asserts that state legislatures have sole authority to establish federal election laws without review by courts or governors.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issued a statement on the Supreme Court’s decision, stating it was a “victory for Michigan’s citizen-led and voter-enacted independent redistricting process”.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson shared in a press release that Michigan had the highest youth turnout rate in the 2022 Midterm Elections.

According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University (CIRCLE), the Michigan youth voter turnout for the 2022 midterm election was higher than any other state in the nation.

Circle estimated that the national average of eligible young Americans (ages 18-29) who cast a ballot in the 2022 midterm elections was 23%. In Michigan, young people turned out at a rate of 37%.

Four states saw improvement in their youth turnout rates from 2018 to 2022. Michigan was one of the four states who experienced a higher youth turnout in 2022, with the youth turnout rate increasing from 32.7% in 2018 to 36.5% in 2022.

The report noted that states with strong policies to make it easier to register and vote tended to have high youth voter turnout in the 2022 midterm elections. In Michigan, record youth turnout may be attributed to policies such as voter access and education for students, no-excuse absentee voting, and the implementation of online and same-day voter registration.

On February 27, U.S. Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin announced that she will be running for U.S. Senate.

Slotkin serves in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Michigan’s 7th Congressional District. Her announcement follows the recent news that U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow will be retiring and will not run for reelection in 2024. Stabenow has served as a U.S. Senator to Michigan since 2000.

Slotkin, so far, has no democratic challengers, but two Republicans have formed exploratory committees: current State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder and business owner Michael Hoover.

Additionally, with Slotkin set to vacate her current 7th Congressional seat, others have formed exploratory committees or are considering a run. Those include current Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, current Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, former state Senator and aid to Governor Whitmer Curtis Hertel, and state Representative Angela Witwer. On the Republican side, former state Senator Tom Barrett is said to be expressing interest in another run for this seat (he lost to Slotkin in 2022).