CLOSUP publications

The Ford School’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) has released a new resource that summarizes Michigan local government leaders’ views on democracy and democratic governance. The findings come from the Michigan Public Policy...

This memo provides a comprehensive analysis of the CLOSUP team’s work in assisting the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) in the analysis of public comments submitted during the 2024 Senate Mapping Redistricting process....

This brief provides a review of CLOSUP analysis of public comments submitted to the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) in spring 2024 as part of the effort to draw new maps in Southeast Michigan as directed by a federal...

This memo provides an initial summary of CLOSUP analysis of public comments submitted to the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) in spring 2024 as part of the effort to draw new maps in Southeast Michigan as directed by a...

This report presents the views of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding their jurisdiction’s online presence, including whether their local government has an official website and what it provides, the use of  teleconferencing for official...

In American society, citizen engagement is a manifestation of direct democracy at the local government level. Engaging citizens in their community can have positive effects on jurisdictions where it is pursued, but the process can also come with its...

This report presents local government leaders' familiarity with Michigan’s new approach to redistricting by the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, as well as their perspectives on potential "Communities of Interest" in the areas...

This 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, as well as their levels of trust toward the federal, state, and other local...

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s township and city officials on issues related to election administration in their jurisdictions, including expected challenges and confidence in election security. Data from a parallel survey of...

The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) was launched at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy in 2001 to provide public service to the people and communities of Michigan. Over the years, CLOSUP has...

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding the 2020 U.S. Census, including their confidence in the potential accuracy of the count both locally and at the state level, as well as information about local...

This report presents the experiences and opinions of Michigan’s local government clerks and other city and township leaders regarding three statewide voting and election reforms: 1) voter registration up to 15 days before an election via mail,...

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding the upcoming 2020 U.S. Census, including their confidence in the potential accuracy of the count both locally and at the state level, assessments of groups within...

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding the state of public discourse in their communities, including how constructive or divisive it is among citizens, between citizens and elected officials, and among the...

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ assessments of issues related to citizen engagement with their local governments, and the role that citizens play in the local policymaking process. The findings in this report are based on...

This is the second of several reports on the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding citizen engagement in their jurisdictions. This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding their governments’...

This is the first of several reports on the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding citizen engagement in their jurisdictions. This report focuses on the levels of trust local officials feel toward their citizens as responsible...

On Friday, July 30, 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau closed its public phone call-in lines that had allowed U.S. citizens who were missed by mailed forms and door-to-door efforts to be counted in the 2010 Census. The Census data, according to the Census...