With several months before the November 3 general election, candidates across the state continue to vie for their name to appear on the ballot, but a seldom-discussed provision in Michigan’s constitution guarantees that voters will decide this year whether or not to completely rewrite our constitution.
What Is a Con-Con?
Michigan’s constitution requires a proposal to automatically appear on the ballot every 16 years, asking voters if they want a general revision of the state constitution through a process called a Constitutional Convention – sometimes shortened to “Con-Con.” A “yes” vote doesn’t just mean that one section of the constitution is changed: it opens up every article, provision, and word to complete revision. If a majority of voters approve the proposal, voters will elect a delegate for each of Michigan’s 110 House districts and 38 Senate districts (148 delegates, total) on a partisan ballot. Those delegates would convene in Lansing in 2027 with near-limitless authority to rewrite Michigan’s constitution from the ground up.
This automatic trigger exists as a regular check-in with voters, who can voice whether they think the process is going well or if it needs to be reconsidered altogether. Voters have rejected the proposal all three times it has appeared on the ballot (1978, 1994, and 2010) since the state’s 1963 constitution was adopted. This year, the proposal will return again as Proposal 1 on the November ballot.
What Would a Convention Look Like?
It’s hard to predict exactly how a convention would play out because there are nearly no guidelines in law. Article XII Section 3 of the state constitution requires that delegates convene at the seat of government, that they choose their own officers and determine their own rules for proceedings, and that they eventually produce an amended or completely rewritten constitution that goes before the voters for final approval. Beyond that framework, the law is largely silent, leaving no defined restrictions on subject matter, no time limit, no spending cap or budget, and no external oversight.
No Limit on Scope
A Constitutional Convention is not limited to only select parts of the constitution; delegates have the authority to change anything. Some supporters argue this presents an opportunity to streamline convoluted mechanisms within state government, or a chance to re-litigate previously passed amendments to the constitution. Others have argued that this process would lead to a “runaway convention” where everything from tax structure to property rights is on the table all at the same time without a way to preserve well-functioning mechanisms – all in a highly polarized political moment.
No Time Limit
Michigan’s most recent Constitutional Convention met between 1961 to 1962, lasting almost a full year. However, there is no deadline in law to compel a final product, meaning a convention could hypothetically stretch well beyond a year depending on the regularity of meetings and the scope of the convention’s research, debate, and deliberation. For a convention with the power to set its own budget and appoint and compensate its own officers and employees, it’s impossible to predict the cost to taxpayers or even when voters could expect progress.
No Oversight or Transparency
While the constitution requires that the 148 delegate positions be filled through partisan elections, it’s not clear that any other regular campaign finance requirements apply to these positions. Michigan’s most recent ballot initiatives have been magnets for out-of-state dark money, and it’s hard to imagine delegate races being any different with no real disclosure requirements or contribution limits, and near-unlimited authority to set the rules for the state. Once delegates are seated, there is no independent arbiter or judicial oversight during deliberations, and neither the governor nor the legislature have the authority to intervene. The convention judges its own members and sets its own rules.
Where SBAM Stands
SBAM’s Legislative Action Council convened to consider the implications and risks of a Constitutional Convention and voted unanimously to oppose Proposal 1. SBAM has joined a bipartisan coalition called Protect MI Constitution From Special Interests which seeks to inform voters of the risks of a Con-Con. SBAM is joined on the coalition by other business groups like the Michigan Chamber and Business Leaders for Michigan, labor unions like the MEA and AFL-CIO, and progressive advocacy groups like the Michigan League of Conservation Voters and the League of Women Voters for Michigan, who all agree that now is not the time to open Pandora’s box with our state’s primary governing document.
By Jacob Manning, SBAM Advocacy & Policy Manager; originally published in SBAM’s July/August 2026 issue of FOCUS magazine
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