State government

Michigan Redistricting Project

In November 2018, the citizens of Michigan passed Proposal 2, which amended the Michigan Constitution to place congressional and state legislative redistricting in the hands of a new Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC)...

MPPS in the news

Survey: Gov. Whitmer and Michigan Legislature on Wrong Track

May 18, 2023 DBusiness.com

Nearly 60 percent of Michigan’s local government leaders say the state is on the wrong track in 2023, according to a recent University of Michigan survey. Specifically, 59 percent see the wrong track, less than the 62 percent in 2022 and the high of...

CLOSUP Updates

New MPPS Policy Brief: Despite two-year trend of improvement, most Michigan local officials continue to say the state is on the wrong track

May 17, 2023

A new policy brief presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding the direction in which the state is headed, as well as their evaluations of the job performance of Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature....

In the Media

Michigan Clerk Faces Recall Election After 2020 Election Controversy

May 1, 2023 NBC News Meet the Press Now

Adams Township clerk Stephanie Scott is facing a recall election and investigation over accusations of mishandling election materials during the 2020 election. “What happened here in Adams Township Michigan could happen anywhere,” said NBC News...

MPPS in the news

Recycling gets positive reviews as green groups press for more action

Apr 14, 2023 Great Lakes Echo

Local government officials in the state generally feel positive about the benefits of recycling, according to a public policy survey report from the University of Michigan. But environmental organizations say that while local officials felt upbeat,...

MPPS in the news

Recycling gets positive reviews as green groups press for more action

Apr 3, 2023 Manistee News Advocate

LANSING – Local government officials in the state generally feel positive about the benefits of recycling, according to a public policy survey report from the University of Michigan. But environmental organizations say that while local officials...

MPPS in the news

Recycling gets positive reviews as green groups press for more action

Mar 31, 2023 Capital News Service

MPPS in the news

Local Leaders Largely Support Community-Wide Recycling

Mar 28, 2023 Gongwer News Service

Local leaders reported positive attitudes toward recycling, supporting the current services they have or expressing a desire to bring recycling services to their communities, a recent report from the Michigan Public Policy Survey...

In the Media

Flint, Michigan's finances stable but fragile as citizens get closer to state settlement payout

Mar 23, 2023 The Bond Buyer

Flint, Michigan's fiscal condition remains stable but fragile with some positive signs on the horizon as its citizens move closer to receiving compensation for the 2014 water contamination crisis, with a $600 million state-backed settlement clearing...

MPPS in the news

Local leaders report widespread support for community recycling programs

Mar 20, 2023 The University Record

A strong majority of Michigan local government leaders feel that good governance includes promoting environmental sustainability and “being green,” according to a survey of nearly 1,400 leaders across the...

In the Media

Whitmer’s new budget proposal: What it means for Michigan residents

Feb 24, 2023 The Michigan Daily

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced her fifth executive budget recommendation for the 2024 fiscal year on Feb. 8, setting the record for the largest budget proposal in Michigan’s history at $79...

In the Media

2022 in Hindsight

Jan 5, 2023 Hour Detroit

A year is a long time in politics and life. When Hour Detroit asked an esteemed panel of experts in November 2021 to offer predictions for 2022, there was an awful lot they couldn’t have imagined. Like, say, that half the field of Republican...

MPPS in the news

Local Governments Report Less Fiscal Stress, But Wary

Dec 19, 2022 Gongwer News Service

Local government leaders report they are better able to financially meet their needs this year than in 2021 though remain concerned about long-term fiscal trends, according to a survey released last week. The Michigan Public Policy Survey from the...

In the Media

This year’s ballot measures will change how many Americans vote

Dec 15, 2022 The Center for Public Integrity

In states across the country, voters weighed in on voting, impacting voter ID, early voting and who can vote in local...

MPPS in the news

Report highlights perspectives on democracy, fiscal health among Michigan administrators

Dec 14, 2022 American City and Country

Politically driven incidents over the last few years at all levels of government have fundamentally shaken public perception about the health of America’s democracy. Administrators have likewise been impacted. A new study from the University of...

In the Media

Indignation as Michigan judge drops Flint water charges against GOP ex-Gov Snyder

Dec 12, 2022 nationofchange.org

Environmental justice advocates on Friday condemned a move by a district judge in Michigan to drop two misdemeanor charges against former Republican Gov. Rick Snyder in connection with the 2014 Flint water crisis that killed dozens of residents of...

In the Media

Indignation as Michigan Judge Drops Flint Water Charges Against GOP Ex-Gov Snyder

Dec 10, 2022 CommonDreams.org

In the Media

Michigan Judge Drops Flint Water Charges Against Ex-Gov Snyder, Sparking Outrage

Dec 10, 2022 Truthout.org

In the Media

A retrospect on the new redistricting process for Michigan voters

Dec 7, 2022 The Michigan Daily

On Nov. 30th, the Ford School of Public Policy held an event to discuss Michigan’s new citizen-led redistricting process and its impacts on the midterm election, the first election since new lines were drawn in December 2021. The meeting was...

In the Media

A Chance to Make Government Financial Data Transparent and User-Friendly

Dec 7, 2022 Governing.com

Federal legislation requiring machine-readable reporting has its critics, but it would go a long way toward modernizing how data is collected, used and shared. It also could lower borrowing costs for states and...

In the Media

Redistricting experts weigh in on results of first general election under new maps

Dec 1, 2022 Detroit Free Press

Results from the first general election held under new maps drawn by Michigan's independent redistricting commission seemed to demonstrate that the group achieved its aim of drawing fair maps while underscoring Black Detroiters' concerns that they...

MPPS in the news

Report: Local Gov't Officials Still Concerned About State Of Democracy

Nov 23, 2022 Gongwer News Service

The state of local democracy is not in jeopardy in the eyes of officials across Michigan, however there is still much concern for the stability of democracy at the state and federal levels according to a report from the University of Michigan's...

CLOSUP Updates

MPPS Report: Michigan local leaders’ concerns about U.S. democracy at state and federal levels ease somewhat, but remain grim

Nov 16, 2022

A new report presents local government leaders’ views regarding the functioning of democracy in their jurisdictions, the State of Michigan, and the United States as a whole. These findings are based on statewide surveys of local government leaders...

In the Media

Fact check: False claim Michigan's Proposal 2 would allow felons to vote from prison

Nov 7, 2022 USA Today

Voters around the country will be making decisions on an array of candidates and issues in the 2022 midterm election on Nov. 8. One viral Instagram post urges Michigan voters to vote against a ballot proposal that it characterized as a threat to...

In the Media

Former Legislators Back Term Limits Changes

Nov 2, 2022 Gongwer

A survey of 110 former legislators shows overwhelming support for changing or abolishing term limits. The survey, which was conducted in 2020 and 2021 by Rusty Hills, a longtime Republican strategist now a lecturer at the University of Michigan Ford...

In the Media

Former legislators broadly favor reforming or ending term limits

Nov 2, 2022 University Record

As voters in Michigan consider a ballot measure to change the state’s legislative term limits, a survey of former legislators shows overwhelming support for reforming or abolishing the limits. The survey, conducted in 2020 and 2021 by Rusty Hills, a...

In the Media

68% Of Former Lawmakers Would Serve Again If Possible

Nov 2, 2022 MIRS

A total of 68% of 110 former state lawmakers said they would serve in the Legislature again if given a chance, according to a University of Michigan study published today. Some of them may soon get that...

In the Media

Meet the election deniers on the cusp of controlling U.S. elections

Oct 31, 2022 CBC

Let's try imagining what the next U.S. presidential election might look like. It's 2024. It's been a bitter, hard-fought campaign. Votes are being...

MPPS in the news

Mixed Reviews From Local Leaders For Redistricting Commission

Oct 26, 2022 Gongwer.com

Support among local leaders for the concept of an independent redistricting commission has waned over time, according to a study published by the University of Michigan's Center for Local State and Urban...

CLOSUP Updates

New MPPS Policy Brief: Local government officials give mixed reviews to Michigan’s new approach to redistricting

Oct 26, 2022

A new policy brief presents the opinions of Michigan local government leaders on Michigan’s new approach to electoral redistricting and the performance of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC). These findings are based...

A blue map of Michigan layered over a blue neighborhood map