This article originally appeared in The Detroit News October 6, 2026.

The U.S. Senate race between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers is getting national attention, but another item on your ballot could also have major consequences for Michigan.

Here’s what you should know:

1. On Nov. 3, Proposal 1 will ask Michigan voters whether the state should convene a constitutional convention to rewrite the Michigan Constitution. Our state’s constitution requires that voters be asked every sixteen years whether to call a constitutional convention. The convention doesn’t have to rewrite the entire constitution; it could offer a series of amendments and leave the basics untouched.

2. A poll conducted for The Detroit News and WDIV-TV last month shocked political observers when a plurality of voters indicated support for Proposal 1, 47% to 31%, with about 22% undecided.

3. The Michigan Constitution was ratified in 1963. It is the state’s fourth constitution, and it has been in place the longest of all four. Earlier constitutions were adopted in 1835, 1850 and 1908.

4. The 1963 constitution has been amended 39 times. Amendments can be initiated by citizen petition or by a vote of the Legislature.

5. Voters have declined to call a constitutional convention the last three times the question was on the ballot in 1978, 1994 and 2010.

6. If you are under the age of 34, this is the first time you’ll encounter the convention question on the ballot. This will be true for many Michigan voters; roughly 24% of Michigan voters fell in the 18-34 age bracket in November 2024.

7. Eight current state lawmakers were not yet old enough to vote when the constitutional convention question last came before voters.

8. There is no formal campaign calling for a “yes” vote, although a handful of elected officials have indicated they support the idea.

9. A diverse coalition is calling for a “no” vote. The coalition includes business groups and labor unions, Planned Parenthood and the Michigan Catholic Conference, Americans for Prosperity and the American Civil Liberties Union.

10. If Proposal 1 passes, voters would then select delegates through a primary election in February 2027 and general election in June 2027, says the Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

11. One delegate from each state House district and each state Senate district would be elected, for a total of 148 delegates.

12. The constitutional convention would convene by Oct. 5, 2027.

13. A convention has “broad discretion” in revising the constitution, according to the Michigan Supreme Court. Convention delegates can propose a wholesale rewrite of the constitution or amend individual portions. The convention has authority under the constitution to choose officers, employees and assistants and to fix their compensation.

14. The constitution addresses a wide array of subjects. It defines the powers of branches of government, protects individual liberties and addresses taxes, pensions, term limits, elections and public schools.

15. The convention has no fixed deadline for proposing a new constitution. The last convention ran for about 10 months from 1961 to 1962.

16. Once the new constitution is drafted, it goes to the voters, who can ratify the constitution with a simple majority vote.

17. If voters reject Proposal 1 in November, the question would next come before the voters in 2042.

Michigan voters will have a lot of decisions on Nov. 3, choosing a U.S. senator, members of Congress, governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state legislators and two state Supreme Court justices — to say nothing of local races.

Those races decide who holds office for the next few years. Proposal 1 is different. It asks whether it’s time to change the founding document of our state.

Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy are properly cited.