Michigan Ballot 2026: Proposals 1 and 2, the Certified Candidates for Governor and Senate, and Early Voting

Michigan’s Nov. 3, 2026 ballot has two statewide proposals and an unusually open top of the ticket. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel are term-limited, and U.S. Sen. Gary Peters is not seeking reelection, so all four offices have new nominees. The candidates below come from the Michigan Bureau of Elections’ certified general election listing, in the order the parties appear.

Proposal 1: a constitutional convention

The Michigan Constitution requires voters to be asked every 16 years whether to hold a convention to rewrite it. The 2026 question reads, in part: “Shall a convention of elected delegates be convened in 2027 to draft a general revision of the State Constitution for presentation to the state’s voters for their approval or rejection?”

• Yes: delegates would be elected to draft a revised constitution, which voters would then approve or reject.
• No: no convention; the question returns automatically in 2042.

Voters rejected the same question in 1978, 1994 and 2010.

Proposal 2: utility and contractor contributions

Proposal 2 is a citizen-initiated law. It would bar regulated electric and gas utilities, companies with more than $250,000 a year in state government contracts, and people closely connected to them from contributing to officials and candidates whose decisions affect them. It would also extend disclosure rules to political communications that clearly identify a candidate or ballot question, including online ads.

• Yes: enact the contribution limits and disclosure rules.
• No: keep current campaign finance law.

The Michigan Supreme Court rejected a last-minute challenge to keep it off the ballot. A separate proposed amendment requiring proof of citizenship to register did not make the ballot.

The statewide races

Office	Candidates (certified, in ballot order)
Governor / Lieutenant governor	Jocelyn Benson / Winnie Brinks (Democratic); John James / Jay DeBoyer (Republican); Anthony Hudson / Beau Parmenter (Libertarian); Donna Brandenburg / Robert Donald Cowper II (U.S. Taxpayers); Doug Campbell / Bobbie Clay (Green)
U.S. Senate	Abdul El-Sayed (Democratic); Mike Rogers (Republican); Lydia Christensen (Libertarian); Tim Long (U.S. Taxpayers); Douglas P. Marsh (Green); Walter P. Kristy (Natural Law)
Secretary of state	Garlin Gilchrist II (Democratic); Anthony G. Forlini (Republican); plus Libertarian, U.S. Taxpayers and Green nominees
Attorney general	Eli Savit (Democratic); Doug Lloyd (Republican); plus Libertarian, U.S. Taxpayers, Green and Natural Law nominees
Supreme Court (vote for two)	Megan Kathleen Cavanagh (incumbent); Noah P. Hood (incumbent); Thomas W. Howe; Casandra Morse-Bills; Michael Warren; Jody White

Supreme Court candidates are nominated at party conventions but appear on the ballot without party labels. Your ballot also has two seats each on the State Board of Education and the governing boards of the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University, plus all 13 U.S. House seats and every seat in the state Senate and House.

Key dates

Date	What
Sat., Oct. 24-Sun., Nov. 1	Early in-person voting, at least nine days statewide
Oct. 20-Nov. 3	Register in person at your clerk’s office with proof of residency
Fri., Oct. 30, 5 p.m.	Recommended last day to request an absentee ballot by mail or online
Mon., Nov. 2, 4 p.m.	Last day to request and vote an absentee ballot in person at your clerk’s office
Tue., Nov. 3, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.	Election Day; absentee ballots must be received by 8 p.m.

Michigan voters approved a nine-day minimum for early voting in 2022, and some communities start earlier. Absentee ballots come with prepaid return postage and can be returned to a drop box in every community. Ballots must be in the clerk’s hands by 8 p.m. on Election Day; a postmark does not count. Check your registration, sample ballot and early voting sites at the Michigan Voter Information Center.

ID at the polls

You will be asked to show photo ID, such as a Michigan driver’s license or state ID, a passport, a military ID, a student ID or a tribal ID. If you do not have one, you can sign an affidavit and vote a regular ballot that counts like any other.

Plan your vote

Four counties in the Upper Peninsula are on Central Time and close an hour later in Eastern Time; see poll closing times by state. The Senate race is one of 35 nationwide; follow them with the tracker in our 2026 midterm guide. For another Great Lakes battleground, see the Pennsylvania ballot guide.

Print the checklist below, and add early voting to our October and November printable calendars or a weekly planner.