The fairness and safety of Michigan elections has come under fire in recent elections. Michigan has no law protecting against election disinformation or a state-level voting rights act. Election officials are not protected against threats.

​

Michigan has made great strides in increasing its voter registration numbers since 2018, thanks to same-day and automatic voter registration and no-excuse absentee voting (through constitutional amendment in 2018).

 

However, voter turnout is another story.

 

• In 2022, Michigan voters ages 18-29 turned out at a rate of 37%,  which is higher than any other state. But that translates to mean 63% of young registered voters didn’t vote!

 

• And just 54.5% of all Michigan registered voters turned out in the 2022 midterms, down 3.5% from 58% in the 2018 midterms.

​

The increase in voter registration in 2018 led to dramatic changes in gender representation in the Michigan government. Michigan elected its second female Attorney General in state history and the first openly gay top-elected official. Women lawmakers constitute about 40% of the new Michigan Legislature — the 14th highest number of women in a state legislature in the country and more than double the percentage in 2016, when women made up about 19.6% of the Michigan House and Senate.

 

 We still have a ways to go before achieving gender parity and truly representative government, but we are on the right path.