MPPS Policy Brief: Many Michigan local governments struggle to find residents willing to run for office or serve on boards
This policy brief presents Michigan local government leaders' views on resident engagement in their communities. Across the state, Michigan local leaders report steep declines in engagement over more than a decade, despite increased outreach efforts to their residents. One significant area of concern is resident representation on local elected and appointed boards. These findings are based on statewide surveys of local government leaders in the Spring 2025 wave of the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS).
Key findings
- Statewide, leaders from more than three-quarters of Michigan local governments (77%) say not enough residents are willing to run for elected office and nearly as many note candidacies are often uncontested (75%). A similar proportion of local leaders say not enough residents are willing to serve on appointed boards or committees (75%) and many note they have trouble finding residents with the necessary skills or subject matter expertise for certain appointed boards (68%).
- Officials from smaller and more rural jurisdictions, particularly villages and townships, are more likely to express strong concerns about resident recruitment. For example, while 19% of county leaders and 34% of city leaders strongly agree that not enough residents are willing to run for local elected office, that percentage rises to a majority of villages (51%) and nearly half of townships (45%) statewide.
- When it comes to specific challenges, 61% statewide say it's difficult for their jurisdiction to find young people to run or serve, and 34% say they can't find new people in general. About half feel their jurisdiction's residents don't have time to run or serve, and 43% believe their residents feel unsure that they have enough knowledge or expertise to serve on boards. One quarter believe their residents are deterred from running because of potential harassment, and a quarter also say insufficient or lack of compensation for residents is a problem.