Michigan local governments highly confident in election integrity, wary of disinformation
This report presents the opinions of Michigan's township and city leaders on issues related to election administration in their jurisdictions, including confidence in overall accurate election administration and expected problems their jurisdictions might encounter. These findings are based on statewide surveys of local government leaders in the spring 2026 wave of the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS), conducted between March 30 and June 9, 2026—prior to the August 2026 primary. It also contains comparisons to opinions expressed in the 2020 and 2022 MPPS waves.
Key findings
- When asked in spring 2026 about the upcoming November election, Michigan township and city officials remain very confident in local election administration. Overall, 92% are very confident in their jurisdiction's ability to administer an accurate election in November 2026, unchanged from 2022 and up from 87% in 2020.
- Nearly half of townships and cities statewide (49%) report that election costs are a problem for their jurisdiction's budget, up from 41% who said the same in 2020. Costs are a problem for jurisdictions of all sizes, from the smallest townships to the largest cities.