Michigan Constitution - Ballotpedia

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Michigan Constitution

Preamble
Artikel
I • II • III • IV • V • VI • VII • VIII • IX • X • XI • XII • Schedule

The Michigan Constitution is the state constitution of Michigan.

The current Michigan Constitution was adopted in 1963.
Michigan has had three state constitutions.
The current state constitution has 12 articles.
The current Michigan Constitution has been amended 39 times.
Voters last approved three new amendments to the Michigan Constitution on November 8, 2022.

A state constitution is the fundamental document that outlines a state's framework for governance, including the powers, structure, and limitations of the state government, individual and civil rights, and other matters.

Background

Michigan became the 26th state on January 26, 1837.^[1]

Michigan has had four constitutions. The first, written in 1835, allowed Michigan to become a state. The next two were approved in 1850 and 1908. The current constitution was approved by voters in 1963.^[1]

Preamble

See also: Preamble, Michigan Constitution and Preambles to state constitutions

The preamble to the Michigan Constitution states:


	We, the people of the State of Michigan, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom, and earnestly desiring to secure these blessings undiminished to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution.^[2]

Article I

See also: Article I, Michigan Constitution

Article I of the Michigan Constitution is entitled "Declaration of Rights" and consists of 27 sections. It establishes the rights and liberties of the citizens of Michigan.

Click here to read this article of the Michigan Constitution.

Article II

See also: Article II, Michigan Constitution

Article II of the Michigan Constitution is entitled "Elections" and consists of 10 sections. It details the election process, as well as recalls and voter qualifications.

Click here to read this article of the Michigan Constitution.

Article III

See also: Article III, Michigan Constitution

Article III of the Michigan Constitution is entitled "General Government" and consists of eight sections. It deals with miscellaneous provisions, such as the state seal, seat of government and separation of powers.

Click here to read this article of the Michigan Constitution.

Article IV

See also: Article IV, Michigan Constitution

Article IV of the Michigan Constitution is entitled "Legislative Branch" and consists of 54 sections. It establishes the legislative branch of government as the law-making body of the state.

Click here to read this article of the Michigan Constitution.

Article V

See also: Article V, Michigan Constitution

Article V of the Michigan Constitution is entitled "Executive Branch" and consists of 30 sections. It establishes the executive branch and describes the powers and qualifications of the governor and lieutenant governor.

Click here to read this article of the Michigan Constitution.

Article VI

See also: Article VI, Michigan Constitution

Article VI of the Michigan Constitution is entitled "Judicial Branch" and consists of 30 sections. It establishes the judicial branch and creates the various court systems.

Click here to read this article of the Michigan Constitution.

Article VII

See also: Article VII, Michigan Constitution

Article VII of the Michigan Constitution is entitled "Local Government" and consists of 34 sections. It concerns government at a local level.

Click here to read this article of the Michigan Constitution.

Article VIII

See also: Article VIII, Michigan Constitution

Article VIII of the Michigan Constitution is entitled "Education" and consists of nine sections. It establishes the public school system, higher education, services for disabled persons and public libraries.

Click here to read this article of the Michigan Constitution.

Article IX

See also: Article IX, Michigan Constitution

Article IX of the Michigan Constitution is entitled "Finance and Taxation" and consists of 42 sections. It describes the taxation process.

Click here to read this article of the Michigan Constitution.

Article X

See also: Article X, Michigan Constitution

Article X of the Michigan Constitution is entitled "Property" and consists of six sections.

Click here to read this article of the Michigan Constitution.

Article XI

See also: Article XI, Michigan Constitution

Article XI of the Michigan Constitution is entitled "Public Officers and Employment" and consists of eight sections.

Click here to read this article of the Michigan Constitution.

Article XII

See also: Article XII, Michigan Constitution

Article XII of the Michigan Constitution is entitled "Amendment and Revision" and consists of four sections. It describes the process for amending the state constitution.

Click here to read this article of the Michigan Constitution.

The Schedule

See also: Schedule, Michigan Constitution

The "Schedule and Temporary Provisions" article of the Michigan Constitution has 16 sections. It has temporary provisions to ease the transition from territory to state.

Click here to read this section of the Michigan Constitution.

Amending the constitution

The Michigan Constitution can be amended in three different ways—a citizen-initiated process, a legislative process, and a state constitutional convention.

Initiative

See also: Initiated constitutional amendment

An initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. Eighteen (18) states allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.

In Michigan, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 10% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.

Legislature

See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

A two-thirds vote is required during one legislative session for the Michigan State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 74 votes in the Michigan House of Representatives and 26 votes in the Michigan State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

Convention

See also: Convention-referred constitutional amendment

According to Section 3 of Article XII of the Michigan Constitution, a question about whether to hold a state constitutional convention is to automatically appear on the state's ballot every 16 years starting in 1978. Michigan is one of 14 states that provides for an automatic constitutional convention question.

The table below shows the last and next constitutional convention question election years:

State	Interval	Last question on the ballot	Next question on the ballot
Michigan	16 years	2010	2026

See also

State Constitutions Ballotpedia.png

External links

Suggest a link

Footnotes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Fino, S. (2011). The Michigan State Constitution. New York, NY: Oxford University Press
↑ Michigan State Legislature, "Michigan Constitution," accessed March 28, 2014

v • e Michigan Constitution

	Michigan Constitution • Preamble • Article I • Article II • Article III • Article IV • Article V • Article VI • Article VII • Article VIII • Article IX • Article X • Article XI • Article XII • Schedule

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