page_title: Constitution of Michigan
section_title: Article II: Elections
hierarchical_section_title: Constitution of Michigan / 1963 Constitution / Article II: Elections
context_page_description: The Constitution of the State of Michigan is the governing document of the U.S. state of Michigan. It describes the structure and function of the state's government.
  There have been four constitutions approved by the people of Michigan. The first was approved on October 5 and 6, 1835, written as Michigan was preparing to become a state of the Union, which occurred in January 1837. Subsequent constitutions were ratified in 1850 and 1908. The current constitution was approved by voters in 1963.
context_section_description: Article two establishes the basic rules, procedures, and guidelines for elections in the State of Michigan. It provides that all citizens of the United States who are at least 21 years of age (though the 26th amendment to the United States Constitution lowers this to 18 years), have resided in the state at least six months, and who meets the requirements of local residence shall be entitled to vote. It also empowers the legislature to exclude people from voting because of mental incompetence (though in Doe v. Rowe Federal District Court Judge George Singal found it unconstitutional to deny a person the right to vote solely because of the existence of a mental illness)  or commitment to a jail or prison. It also allows the legislature to lessen these requirements for presidential elections.
  The article also establishes the time, place, and manner of elections, in addition to the necessity of a vote of the resident electors for increases in property taxes above certain thresholds on the county and municipal level as well as for the issuing of municipal and county bonds. Article two establishes a state board of canvassers and primary elections. It prohibits ballot designations of candidates, except in cases of similar surnames. It also instructs the legislature to “enact laws to preserve the purity of elections, to preserve the secrecy of the ballot, to guard against abuses of the elective franchise, and to provide for a system of voter registration and absentee voting.”
  Article two provides for limited direct democracy through the initiative, referendum, and recall, establishing a process for all three. All three are invoked by petitions followed up by ballot votes.
  Article two also attempts to restrict the number of terms United States Senators and Representatives from the State of Michigan can serve. For senators, it is twice within any given twenty-four year period (no more than two-consecutive terms without a break of two terms), while for representatives it is three times during any given twelve-year period (no more than three consecutive terms without a break of three terms). Such term limits were adopted in 1992 by ballot initiative but were ruled to be unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court.
caption: U.S. Senator from Michigan, Carl Levin, is an example of someone who benefited from the Supreme Court's ruling overturning state-imposed term limits on Members of Congress like those found in Article II of the Michigan Constitution. He served in the Senate from 1979 to 2015.
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