Michigan Politics

For six days in November, 88-year-old Susan Smith sat on a polished wooden bench in a windowless federal courtroom in Kalamazoo as judges heard hours of testimony on the future of Michigan’s legislative maps. The testimony, as is the case with...

Tom Ivacko, Newsweek: "Criticism of Trump is one thing, but a vote to impeach is another, and won't easily be forgotten or forgiven by MAGA voters. So while many politicians can pivot or change their appeal to various factions, MAGA voters would be...

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...

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,...

New 2020 Census data means the loss of a Michigan Congressional seat, and redrawing the district lines will happen through a new citizen-driven process. "The process this year is radically different than the past," said John Chamberlin. "The public...

“The idea is to build districts that work for the citizens, and actually works for the representative,” Chamberlain said, adding that if a representative has a coherent district, it’s easier for them and their staff to actually serve their...

John Chamberlin, Ford School professor emeritus of political science and public policy, describes himself as a "redistricting junkie." Not unexpectedly, he possesses a keen interest in and understanding of the efforts under way to develop Michigan's...

Despite the fact that some Michigan Republicans flout health protocols promoted by the state, medical groups, and hospitals, health care interest groups still contributed more to Michigan Republicans than Democrats. Joe Schwarz, former Republican...

"Absent some kind of other intervention, it's most likely that commissioners will hear from folks who are well-funded with lobbyists," Ivacko said. Read the full Detroit News article on U-M's work to clarify the meaning of 'communities of interest'...

Communities of interest "now have a very high priority to be kept whole, to not be cracked or split across different districts," Ivacko told the Lansing State Journal. "That's also going to significantly increase the challenge, I think, for the...

"It's going to be a very challenging process this year, and certainly the late Census data will be a part of that," Ivacko told the Lansing State Journal. "Getting the 2020 Census data is going to be absolutely key for them to begin drawing versions...

“Going into this election season, he was not particularly well-known,” said Tom Ivacko, referring to Mr. Peters. At the same time, Mr. Ivacko said Mr. James’s 2018 challenge helped him build “some name recognition fairly recently,” he said. He lost...

With 2019 marking the end of eight years of Republican control of both the governor’s office and state legislature, a new University of Michigan survey shows divided opinions among Michigan’s local government leaders about where the state is...

Now that the election is over, political conjecture is turning to what the newly elected will do in office, how (and even if) it forecasts 2020, and in some cases what sitting governments are doing before power changes hands in January. To help make...

Many local government leaders across Michigan aren't content with their jurisdiction's relationship with state government, according to a new survey by University of Michigan researchers. The latest Michigan Public Policy Survey explored factors...

Quotes from Professor Emeritus John Chamberlin were featured heavily in the March 13 MLive article, "For Michigan lawmakers, conflicts of interest go self-policed and undisclosed," by Emily Lawler. The article examines examples of state legislators...

An op-ed by CLOSUP program manager, Tom Ivacko (MPP '93), was published by the Detroit Free Press on March 11. In "Fixing EM law should be legislators' top priority," Ivacko makes the case that Michigan's laws regarding the appointment of emergency...