Three Michigan lawmakers are taking aim at one of Lansing’s most insider rituals, pushing to overhaul how nominees for attorney general, secretary of state, and the governing boards at the University of Michigan, Michigan State, and Wayne State make it onto the fall ballot. Their bills would move those nominations out of party endorsement conventions and into partisan primary elections, giving everyday voters a direct say in who carries each party’s banner. Supporters argue the shift would curb the clout of a relatively small group of convention delegates and yield nominees who can compete more effectively statewide.
Who’s pushing the change
The effort was first detailed by The Detroit News, while Bridge Michigan has reported that former party insiders and other organizers are working to put the question directly before voters. Those accounts say at least three legislators are advancing proposals, and organizers say the campaign has the public backing of two former governors. Sponsors are prioritizing a switch to primaries for attorney general and secretary of state first, while they consider a broader package that could extend to university board and education posts.
How nominations work now
Right now, the major parties rely on state endorsement conventions to pick nominees for secretary of state, attorney general, and the statewide university boards. The candidates endorsed at those gatherings move straight to the November general-election ballot. The Michigan Democratic Party’s official Call to Convention spells out that the spring convention chooses one candidate for secretary of state, one for attorney general, and two nominees for each university board. Republican delegates used a parallel system this year, endorsing their fall ticket at a March convention.
Why backers want primaries
Advocates of the change say conventions put too much power in the hands of a few thousand politically plugged-in delegates, while primaries would let a much broader slice of the electorate decide who gets on the November ballot. “I think there’s a desire for both parties to stop pendulum politics, which ultimately results in pendulum governing,” former Michigan Democratic Party chair Lon Johnson told Bridge Michigan, which is helping highlight the push. State Rep. Noah Arbit has said he is preparing a legislative referral to place a constitutional change before voters, and organizers contend a legislative path would be faster than mounting an expensive signature drive.
Convention turmoil and objections
Critics counter that scrapping conventions in favor of primaries would simply turn these low-profile, down-ballot jobs into big-money contests dominated by outside spending. Recent convention battles, including tight and disputed university board votes that triggered demands for audits and appeals, have intensified the argument, according to The State News. The secretary of state’s office is also under a brighter spotlight this year because the incumbent is running for governor; Michigan Public reported that the department created a firewall to separate campaign activity from election administration.
What happens next
Altering the state constitution, which is the only clear way to shift these convention-only nominations into the primary calendar, is a heavy lift. Lawmakers would need a two-thirds vote in both chambers to send an amendment to the ballot, or supporters could pursue a citizen-initiated amendment that requires valid signatures equal to 10 percent of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial race. The Detroit News reports that sponsors are considering both options, and court and constitutional summaries underscore how high both the signature bar and the legislative threshold are in Michigan. The showdown is expected to unfold in Lansing this summer as backers decide whether to chase a legislative referral or launch a signature campaign that would require hundreds of thousands of validated petitions to qualify for the ballot.
