The Citizens Research Council of Michigan finished a 15-report series on Tuesday, Sept. 22, giving voters a nonpartisan breakdown of Proposal 2026-01 before they cast ballots on Nov. 3.

The proposal asks whether Michigan should convene a constitutional convention to rewrite the 1963 state constitution. If approved, 148 elected delegates would gather in Lansing on Oct. 5, 2027, to draft revisions that voters would then have to ratify. If rejected, the question returns automatically in 2042.

The series, labeled Report 425, launched in February, with two framing papers on the convention process and constitutional history before the series turned to each of the constitution's 12 articles in successive papers, according to the Citizens Research Council's publications page. The organization, a privately funded research group founded in 1916 with offices in Livonia and Lansing, takes no position on whether a convention should be called.

Eric Lupher, president of the Citizens Research Council, and staff walked through the series and flagged areas of the constitution most likely to be revised if voters approve the convention, WILX first reported. "This vote on November 3rd is, shall there be a convention to draft one, then ultimately the voters will be able to put the 1963 constitution and whatever this group drafts next to each other and say which one do I like best," Lupher told WILX.

The final report, on Article XII, was not yet posted to the Research Council's website as of Tuesday, though the rest of the series is available there, according to WILX.

What a convention would cost and how delegates are chosen

A convention could cost taxpayers $50 million to $60 million, according to the CRC's first report in the series. That estimate is based on current-day projections of the 1961 convention's costs and the expense of running three statewide elections. Delegates would be elected from each of Michigan's 110 House districts and 38 Senate districts.

A convention would be free to draft any kind of document it chooses, subject only to the U.S. Constitution and a ratification vote by Michigan residents, according to the CRC report.

Voters have rejected the question three times

Michigan voters have rejected the convention question every time it has appeared on the automatic 16-year cycle: 77% voted no in 1978, 72% in 1994 and 67% in 2010. Since adoption, 82 proposed amendments to the constitution have gone before voters, and 39 have been approved, according to the CRC.

State House Speaker Matt Hall has voiced support for calling a convention. "After years, you got to change some things," Hall said in January on the Michigan Public "It's Just Politics" podcast. "I support it because they jam so much stuff in this constitution, it doesn't really look like a constitution."

Two statewide questions on the November ballot

Proposal 2026-01 is one of two statewide questions on the Nov. 3 ballot, according to WKAR. The second, Proposal 2, asks whether to limit political donations from some utilities and large government contractors.

The CRC said it timed the series to reach voters before absentee ballots go out in September. Voters can cast ballots at their local polling place on Nov. 3 or request an absentee ballot through their city or township clerk.