Updates About Elections

The 2026 midterm election, taking place on Tuesday, November 3, is just under a month away. This year is especially important due to the large number of state and federal offices up for election. In addition to the state and federal House elections, the entire State Senate is also on the ballot. Majority in both the State House and the State Senate are expected to be competitive this election cycle. Republicans currently control the State House 58-52, and Democrats control the Senate 20-18.

Michigan will also elect a new governor, as current Governor Gretchen Whitmer is term-limited. While the gubernatorial race is typically the top-of-the-ballot contest in Michigan, this year the national spotlight is on the U.S. Senate race for the seat being vacated by Senator Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Township).

Voters will also decide on the approval or rejection of two ballot initiatives. Every 16 years, the opportunity to hold a constitutional convention appears on the ballot. Proposal 1, if passed, will call for a constitutional convention where delegates draft a revised version of the State Constitution. After the drafting process, the revised constitution is presented to voters for approval. The last time the state held a constitutional convention was in 1961-1962. Changes made during the constitutional convention were later approved by voters in 1963, resulting in the current constitution Michigan follows today. Since then, support for a constitutional convention has never exceeded 33%, with the highest level of support coming in 2010.

Proposal 2 would place new restrictions on campaign contributions and political communications. It would prohibit certain utilities, government contractors, and those closely connected to them from contributing to candidates who could directly impact their interests. The proposal would also expand disclosure requirements for political communications, including online political advertisements, to make it clearer who paid for them.

Using the following steps you can see your entire sample ballot on the official Michigan Secretary of State website.

1. Go to https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/PublicBallot/Index.
2. Fill in the Election, County, Jurisdiction, and Precinct information.
3. Click “View Ballot” and a sample ballot will be displayed.

Recently, the United States Supreme Court refused the federal government’s attempt to place restrictions on U.S. Postal Service main-in ballots ahead of the November election.

In an unsigned order, the Court denied the Trump administration’s emergency request to suspend a preliminary injunction issued by a lower court that had blocked the administration’s attempted rule changes. The order was not a final ruling on the USPS authority to hand down restrictions; but instead, allows all states to keep their current mail-in voting procedures and prevents any restrictions for the 2026 election while the legal battle is ongoing.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote separately that the USPS likely has the authority to implement the restrictions but questioned whether the changes could be implemented before the election given the limited timeframe. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas were the only two justices to publicly dissent from the Court’s order.

The original rule change issued by the USPS would have made immediate changes to mail-in voting just over two months before the election date. The changes would have required states to enroll every eligible mail ballot voter with the Postal Service, which would use that data to create state voter rolls. Under the changes, states would have needed Postal Service approval for outgoing and return ballot envelope designs, in which each ballot would have its own unique barcode. The USPS would then have the ability to refuse the delivery of ballots if the voter was not included on its lists or if the envelopes did not meet the new requirements.

Both the Michigan Democratic and Republican nominating conventions went off with little or no drama. Both parties confirmed the candidates that were backed at the endorsement conventions earlier this year, and the candidates who had won their respective races in the August primary. Below is a full list of the nominees for the statewide races:

Gubernatorial (Governor / Lieutenant Governor)

Democrat — Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson / Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks

Republican — Congressman John James / State Representative Jay DeBoyer

U.S. Senate

Democrat — Former Public Health Official Abdul El-Sayed

Republican — Former Congressman Mike Rogers

Secretary of State

Democrat — Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist III

Republican — Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini

Attorney General

Democrat — Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney Eli Savit

Republican — Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney Doug Lloyd

Michigan State Board of Education

Democrat — Incumbent Judith Pritchett

Democrat — Incumbent Tiffany Tilley

Republican — Grosse Pointe school board member Terence Collins

Republican — Child care provider Bree Moeggenberg

Michigan Supreme Court

Democrat — Incumbent Justice Megan Cavanagh

Democrat — Incumbent Justice Noah Hood

Republican — Oscoda County District Court Judge Casandra Morse-Bills

Republican — Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Michael Warren

Michigan State University Board of Trustees

Democrat — Incumbent Brianna Scott

Democrat — Incumbent Kelly Tebay

Republican — State Sen. Roger Victory

Republican — Former Novi City Councilor Julie Maday

University of Michigan Board of Regents

Democrat — Incumbent Paul Brown

Democrat — Civil rights attorney Amir Makled

Republican — Oil executive Lena Epstein

Republican — Bloomfield Township Treasurer Michael Schostak

Wayne State University Board of Governors

Democrat — Civil rights attorney Shereef Akeel

Democrat — Attorney Richard Mack

Republican — Businesswoman Christa Murphy

Republican — Educator Andy Anuzis

The general election is Tuesday, November 3.