Are you ready to vote on the most important measure in Michigan's 2026 midterms?
Given the abuse federal and state politicos are currently shoveling onto constitutions, it's a wonder the constitutions don't swear back at them.
Which leads to the most boring but ultimately critical question you will face in Michigan's 2026 election: How will you vote on the ballot proposal to call a new state Constitutional Convention?
There will no shortage of headlines about the 2026 election.
It's the first time there has been both an open gubernatorial and U.S. Senate seat in the same election.
Whatever major disasters or stunning (and surprising) miracles President Donald Trump concocts will guide how voters decide the makeups of the U.S. Congress and our Legislature.
There will be specific ballot issues.
All these candidates and issues will be hyped with massive buckets-'o-bucks, ads, flyers, calls, door knocking, social media harangues … leaving us overwhelmed.
But in this upcoming election, one ballot issue is already designated as Proposal 1 ― so ordered under Article XII, Section 3 of the Michigan Constitution ― and whether Michiganders vote "yes" or "no" could completely change our governmental and legal structure, affecting every aspect of life in this state:
How your business runs, your kids are educated, how prisoners are punished, our natural resources managed, what taxes we pay and what the taxes pay for, who will govern us; everything we know now about Michigan rules and regulation could be turned inside out, depending on how we vote on holding a Constitutional Convention.
The Michigan Constitution (last revised in 1963) requires voters be asked every 16 years if a new Con-Con (short for 'Constitutional Convention,' natch) should be called. In 1978, 1994 and 2010, voters overwhelmingly said no.
Next year, voters will be asked this question again. So, start thinking about it. Time also to acquaint yourself with Michigan's Constitution, if you know nothing about it.
Pay attention to this very boring subject, which, like most boring subjects, is really damn important.
More Trump's crypto, the Qatar jet ― will supporters finally admit something's wrong?
Constitutions are our supreme laws, guiding everything that governs and affects our lives. In some respects, the U.S. Constitution, Michigan's Constitution and your local city charter dictate how you act daily more than more than whatever scripture you follow (or ignore). Officials from the president to members of local municipal commissions (ask my wife, Cindy, who spent years on Huntington Woods' beautification commission) swear to follow and defend those supreme laws.
Or they are supposed to. We have expected, experienced and enjoyed such compliance with the rules for most of this nation's nearly 250 years.
What is happening now? Trump swore to 'preserve, protect and defend' the Constitution (didn't have his hand on the Bible, but still …) yet he questions if he has to 'uphold' the Constitution. How can you 'preserve, protect and defend' the Constitution if you do not 'uphold' it?
His administration has ignored, thus violating, judicial rulings. He has tried to alter whole sections of the Constitution through Executive Orders, which is not permitted. He has accepted foreign gifts in violation of the Constitution. In open defiance of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, the administration is shredding the rule of law.
Now there is talk the administration may suspend habeas corpus, an essential right guaranteed in the Magna Carta. (That's a governing document agreed to in 1215 by King John of England, under pressure from rebel barons.) Suspending habeas corpus is allowable only under extreme circumstances defined by the Constitution.
Those circumstances do not exist.
When asked to define habeas corpus, Homeland Security Security Kristi Noem gave the baffling response that it guaranteed Trump's right to remove people from the country. Nope, not even close.
More Democrats better hope Michigan Gov. Whitmer changes her mind about presidential run
In Michigan, our constitutional worries are less extreme, but still concerning. State House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland, has refused to submit bills passed in the previous session to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, though Michigan's Constitution specifically says that must be done (the argument wasn't helped by a goofy Court of Claims ruling that the bills should be presented, but the court didn't want to interfere in the spat.)
Hall has also recently suggested passing a budget isn't required by the state constitution (granted, the constitution doesn't set requirements on enacting a budget, but refers to a budget. A little thing called state law requires when a budget be passed).
And earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal brought by 11 Republican legislators challenging the citizens' right to amend the state constitution on certain election issues. Lower federal courts already told the legislators to stuff it, though in nicer legal terms.
Approaching the 2026 Con-Con vote, we face a populace and political establishment arguably more badly divided than in any period since maybe the Civil War. Many are driven by fear, anger and even hatred towards their fellow citizens, and unsympathetic to our constitutional principles.
Michigan is under its fourth constitution (tidbit: Michigan's Archives will soon transport the first 1835 Constitution ― drafted two years before we became a state ― to Boston specialists for a bit of fixup before it enters a new display in Lansing). After the 1835 Constitution ― which specified only white men could vote ― we had constitutions written in 1850 and 1908.
Our current constitution was drafted at the 1961-62 Con-Con, which launched a number of major political careers. Primary among them: George Romney, one of Michigan's greater governors, and longtime Detroit Mayor Coleman Young.
Including Michigan, 11 states are on their fourth constitution. Another 20 states use their original constitutions, with Massachusetts' Constitution adopted in 1780. Louisiana is on its 11th constitution, and Georgia's 10th constitution is the most recent, adopted in 1983.
Because state constitutions deal with more minutia involving state and local operations, they are longer than the 4,500 or so words in the U.S. Constitution. Michigan's comes in around 31,200 words; a breezy read compared to Alabama's 7th constitution, at nearly 403,000 words.
State constitutions are also amended more frequently. In 237 years, the U.S. Constitution has been amended 27 times. Michigan's voters have amended our constitution 39 times, with 85 proposed amendments since it took effect in 1963.
The state constitution, and its amendments, state essential Michigan principles. The constitution bans capital punishment, and establishes our court system, principles of education and which schools get state funding ― through our tax dollars ― and guarantees our state colleges and universities are free from political and legislative interference.
It prohibits a graduated income tax. It guarantees ― through a recently adopted amendment ― reproductive rights for women. It also sets rules on overall state finance, on how old you must be to go boozing, it determines that we elect 148 total legislators and not hundreds more, and that we have a Senate and House and not a unicameral legislature.
The current constitution was written to simplify and modernize Michigan government to face more current realities. The state endured serious recessions in the 1950s, and simply ran out of money. Neither the 1908 Constitution nor lawmakers were able to resolve the problems. Lots more officials were elected ― including the state treasurer and highway commissioner ― and every official served for two-year terms, exhausting voters.
That 1960s Con-Con reflected new social and economic realities. It was the first to include women and Black delegates. Labor with business and agricultural interests played a major role.
And in those post World War II years, the state and nation had a more positive outlook. There were tensions, of course, with the Cold War, changing roles of women, the Civil Rights movement; but most Americans were optimistic to the future. The chief issue dividing support for the 1963 constitution was that it did not did not recognize the principle of one man-one vote (that issue was resolved eventually by the U.S. Supreme Court).
The last three times they were asked, voters declined to call a new Con-Con. But, in each election opposition has declined. In 1978 nearly 77% said no; by 2010, it was nearly 67%. Still a landslide, but what drives the increased support for a new Con-Con? An actual call for change ― either for more progressive government or more conservative ― or just a 'yeah, whatever' mood too many people seem to currently embrace?
Or, given our current discontent with one another, do some voters see a new constitution as a way of imposing greater control over those they dislike? The question cannot be ignored.
You, the voters, will answer these questions soon enough. Make sure you know why you are answering them the way you do.
Free Press contributing columnist John Lindstrom has covered Michigan politics for 50 years. He retired as publisher of Gongwer, a Lansing news service, in 2019. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters, and we may publish it online and in print.
Like what you're reading? Please consider supporting local journalism and getting unlimited digital access with a Detroit Free Press subscription. We depend on readers like you.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Will Michigan say yes to Constitutional Convention in 2026? | Opinion
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
RNC Chair Michael Whatley will run for Senate from North Carolina, sources tell CNN
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley is expected to run for the Senate in North Carolina, setting up a marquee race in next year's midterms, two sources familiar with Whatley's plans tell CNN. He will enter the race with President Donald Trump's backing, after Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, opted against running for the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. A North Carolina Republican consultant who has worked to set up Whatley's campaign told CNN on Thursday that a formal announcement is expected to come 'in the next week to 10 days.' Politico first reported Whatley's plans. The president preemptively threw his support behind Whatley in a post on Truth Social Thursday night where he also endorsed RNC treasurer Joe Gruters to succeed him as the committee's leader. 'Mike would make an unbelievable Senator from North Carolina,' Trump wrote. 'He is fantastic at everything he does, and he was certainly great at the RNC where, in the Presidential Election, we won every Swing State, the Popular Vote, and the Electoral College by a landslide! But I have a mission for my friends in North Carolina, and that is to get Michael Whatley to run for the U.S. Senate.' The RNC chairman's entry sets the stage for what's likely to be one of the best-funded, highest-profile Senate races on the 2026 midterm calendar. Former Gov. Roy Cooper, a popular Democrat who was term-limited after eight years and left office at the end of 2024, also plans to announce a Senate run in the coming days, sources told CNN. Lara Trump plans to remain in her in role as host of a weekly Fox News show and will also appear alongside Whatley at upcoming political events, a source said. 'I am deeply grateful for the encouragement and support I have received from the people of my home state whom I love so much,' she said in a post on X. 'While I am not running in this election, my passion for Making America Great Again burns brightly, and I look forward to the future, wherever that leads.' The clash in North Carolina comes as Democrats, who need to flip four Senate seats to claim the majority, look for opportunities to make races for Republican-held seats competitive on an unforgiving map in which North Carolina could be the only true toss-up. Democrats' Senate hopes of flipping GOP-held seats elsewhere could hinge on retirement and recruiting questions. In Maine, five-term Sen. Susan Collins has beaten back stiff Democratic challenges in the past. In Texas, Sen. John Cornyn faces a primary challenge from state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a scandal-plagued conservative firebrand who Democrats view as a much weaker general election candidate. In Iowa, Sen. Joni Ernst has not yet announced her reelection plans, though Republicans have several strong potential replacements if she opts out. In Ohio, Democrats hope former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who narrowly lost his seat in 2024, will attempt a comeback — this time challenging Republican Sen. Jon Husted. Democrats must also defend Senate seats in several swing states, including Georgia, where Sen. Jon Ossoff is seeking reelection and open seats in Michigan and New Hampshire. Whatley previously spent five years as chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party and the RNC's general counsel. He took the helm of the national party in 2024 after Trump's tensions with former RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. Gruters, who Trump on Thursday said 'will have my Complete and Total Endorsement' to succeed Whatley as chairman, was floated as a possibility for the leadership post in 2024 as well. 'I'm looking forward to advancing President Trump's America First agenda as the next Chair of the RNC,' Gruters said in a statement to CNN. 'He is the greatest President in our nation's history, and I'm ready to serve, fight, and win for our party and our country.' The Florida state senator is a longtime friend and ally of Trump, bucking the party line in the Sunshine State by backing Trump over Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Their relationship predates Trump's time in office to when he was a celebrity developer still weighing a political future. In 2012, on the eve of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Gruters convinced Trump to headline a fundraiser for the nearby Sarasota GOP. Gruters, who was chairman of the local party at the time, named Trump the Statesman of the Year. Trump had endorsed Gruters in his bid to become Florida's chief financial officer, a cabinet-level position that is elected statewide. It's unclear if Gruters will drop out of the race. DeSantis recently passed over Gruters and spurned Trump when he filled a vacancy at state CFO with state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia. This story has been updated with additional information. CNN's Donald Judd and Steve Contorno contributed to this report.
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
DeepSeek, Trump's Plan Steer Agenda at China's Top AI Forum
(Bloomberg) -- Star founders, Beijing officials and deep-pocketed financiers converge on Shanghai by the thousands this weekend to attend China's most important AI summit. At the top of the agenda: how to propel Beijing's ambitions to leapfrog the US in artificial intelligence — and profit off that drive. Trump Awards $1.26 Billion Contract to Build Biggest Immigrant Detention Center in US The High Costs of Trump's 'Big Beautiful' New Car Loan Deduction Can This Bridge Ease the Troubled US-Canadian Relationship? Salt Lake City Turns Winter Olympic Bid Into Statewide Bond Boom The World Artificial Intelligence Conference, which has featured Elon Musk and Jack Ma in years past, was devised to showcase the cutting-edge of Chinese technology. This year's attendance may hit a record as it's taking place at a critical juncture in the US-Chinese tech rivalry. This week, US President Donald Trump unveiled his so-called AI Action Plan — a sort of call to arms to ensure the country keeps its lead in the post-ChatGPT epoch. At the same time, the emergence of DeepSeek in January galvanized a generation of Chinese developers to ride a nationwide investment and innovation wave. From Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. to fledgling firms such as Minimax, the country's aspirants in the field have since moved aggressively to try and close the gap with the likes of OpenAI and Google. 'While many recognize DeepSeek's achievements, this represents just the beginning of China's AI innovation wave,' said Louis Liang, an AI sector investor with Ameba Capital. 'We are witnessing the advent of AI mass adoption, this goes beyond national competition.' The Shanghai conference rundown for now remains largely unknown — as it has in years past just days before kickoff. Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend, and tech leaders from Tencent Holdings Ltd. to ByteDance Ltd. and startups like Zhipu AI and Moonshot are likely to turn out in force. Here's what we can expect from the summit starting Saturday. DeepSeek's Aura Neither the startup nor its reclusive founder Liang Wenfeng feature in the advance literature for the event. And yet, the two-year-old firm is likely to be one of the topics du jour. Since its low-cost, high-performance AI model humbled much of Silicon Valley, the industry has watched China closely for another seismic moment. In a field notorious for splashing billions of dollars on Nvidia Corp. chips and data centers, DeepSeek's no-frills approach inspired a re-think of traditional models. And it challenged what till then was unquestioned US supremacy in bleeding-edge technology: Xi Jinping himself turned out in public in February to congratulate Liang and his fellow tech entrepreneurs. China craves another big breakthrough. Downloads and usage of DeepSeek models have slowed, as has the pace of new model rollouts that peaked over the spring at once every few days. Now, much of the industry talk centers on why DeepSeek's R2 — the followup to its seminal R1 — hasn't yet emerged. Local media have blamed everything from Liang's perfectionist streak to performance glitches. Trump's, and Xi's, Ambitions The conference gets underway days after the US leader signed executive orders to loosen regulations and expand energy supplies for data centers. 'From this day forward, it'll be a policy of the United States to do whatever it takes to lead the world in artificial intelligence,' Trump told executives and lawmakers at a DC event. Among the attendees was Jensen Huang, whose Nvidia is one of the companies at the heart of the global AI movement. Much has been made in Washington of China's seemingly meteoric ascent in AI, with observers saying the country is now perhaps just months behind the US in terms of AI sophistication. That's a wafer-thin margin compared with sectors such as semiconductors, where America is regarded as many years or even generations ahead. Trump's newly announced action plan is likely to spur Chinese companies into accelerating their own plans to go global, in part by aggressively open-sourcing their platforms. Beijing wants AI to become a $100 billion industry by 2030. At the Communist Party's April Politburo study session, Xi emphasized that China must push for breakthroughs in critical areas like high-end chips and AI research. Rise of the Robots Chinese humanoid makers are expected to showcase their most advanced models. Last week, UBTech posted a video of its Walker S2 humanoid walking to a battery station, removing the pack from its back, placing it on the recharge pad before fitting itself with a new battery. While obviously edited and choreographed, it encapsulated the advances that Chinese firms have made in a wide-open field — and their lofty ambitions. Unitree teased a bargain-basement price of under $10,000 for its androids. And just this week, TikTok-owner ByteDance posted a video of its ByteMini robot painstakingly hanging a shirt on a clothes rack — a simple human exercise yet an intricate dance for a machine. They join the likes of AgiBot and UBTech in collectively driving a promising field in which American companies have so far failed to stake out a clear lead, despite decades of effort. The Chinese companies 'are targeting hundreds to thousands of units to be delivered this year, racing to establish the ecosystem,' Morgan Stanley analyst Sheng Wong said in a note this week. Show the Money Venture capitalists and dealmakers will be hunting for emerging tech leaders. And not all of them are Chinese. China's largest venture capital houses are tapping the market for at least $2 billion in new funds. At least six of the country's most prominent VC firms — including Lightspeed China Partners and Monolith Management — are creating dollar-denominated funds designed to allow overseas investors to pool bets on Chinese companies. That's a wave of fundraising that hasn't been seen among Chinese VCs for years. It's unfolding as global investors reassess the country's startup landscape and economy, which are showing signs of revival after years of Covid-era stagnation and regulatory headwinds. Organizers promise a breakout event that will feature startup pitches and live demos for dealmakers. Startups by the hundreds are expected to fill a 70,000 sq-meter exhibition hall, showing off everything from autonomous delivery drones to machines that dispense toilet paper. Missing Global Touch Attendees are unlikely to spot US companies — at least not in major fashion. In 2024, Tesla Inc. popped up with its Cybertruck and Optimus robot. This year's speaker lineup doesn't (yet) include Musk but does list industry pioneer Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, the Canadian scientist who pioneered artificial neural networks. With the US-China tech rivalry accelerating, many American companies remain wary of drawing the spotlight. Still, Beijing is likely to take the opportunity to continue pushing its international agenda. One of the conference centerpieces is a 'High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance' to discuss the challenges in deploying AI responsibly. To many observers, it's also emblematic of China's overarching goal of setting global standards. 'Since 2018, China has used WAIC to stake its claim on global AI technical and political leadership,' said Tom Nunlist, associate director of the Beijing-based consultancy Trivium. 'With the race to AI now neck and neck between the US and China, that play is more compelling than ever.' --With assistance from Vlad Savov. (Updates with video of ByteDance's mini-robot from the 14th paragraph.) Burning Man Is Burning Through Cash Elon Musk's Empire Is Creaking Under the Strain of Elon Musk It's Not Just Tokyo and Kyoto: Tourists Descend on Rural Japan Confessions of a Laptop Farmer: How an American Helped North Korea's Wild Remote Worker Scheme A Rebel Army Is Building a Rare-Earth Empire on China's Border ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Oil Extends Gain on US Trade Deal Optimism, Diesel Tightness
(Bloomberg) -- Oil rose a second day on optimism over US trade talks ahead of next week's deadline, and as tightness in diesel markets boosts sentiment. Trump Awards $1.26 Billion Contract to Build Biggest Immigrant Detention Center in US The High Costs of Trump's 'Big Beautiful' New Car Loan Deduction Can This Bridge Ease the Troubled US-Canadian Relationship? Salt Lake City Turns Winter Olympic Bid Into Statewide Bond Boom Brent crude climbed toward $70 a barrel after adding 1% on Thursday, while West Texas Intermediate traded above $66. Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said he was confident that his country could reach an agreement with the US before Aug. 1, while Brazil and Mexico looked to broaden trade ties. Meanwhile, diesel prices have soared, leading to steep premiums for niche crude grades that yield more of the fuel and injecting much-needed strength into a bogged down oil market. The latest European Union measures restricting Russian energy imports have also added to the tightness, according to TotalEnergies SE. Crude has remained in a holding pattern this month, but is down for the year as increased supply from OPEC+ adds to concerns over a looming glut. The group will next meet on Aug. 3 to decide on production levels. 'As summer demand wanes and surging crude supply continues into the fall, we think global crude inventories will rise sharply,' said Robert Rennie, head of commodity and carbon research at Westpac Banking Corp. Brent prices are likely to decline toward $60, he said. Burning Man Is Burning Through Cash Elon Musk's Empire Is Creaking Under the Strain of Elon Musk It's Not Just Tokyo and Kyoto: Tourists Descend on Rural Japan Confessions of a Laptop Farmer: How an American Helped North Korea's Wild Remote Worker Scheme A Rebel Army Is Building a Rare-Earth Empire on China's Border ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio