Insider Intelligence

This week, Governor Rick Snyder called for a special election to fill the 109th House District, which was left vacant following the passing of former Representative John Kivela.  The seat is in the Upper Peninsula and includes the counties Alger, Luce, Schoolcraft, and a portion of Marquette County. The special primary election will be held […]

This week was the filing deadline for candidates seeking to fill the open 1st House District seat.  The seat is in Wayne County and includes Grosse Pointe Woods, Harper Woods, and portions of the City of Detroit and the Village of Grosse Pointe Shores.  The seat was left vacant following the resignation of former Representative […]

This week, members of the House and Senate Democratic caucuses announced their proposal to make Michigan government more transparent.  Under the plan, state elected officials will be required to disclose their personal finances and presidential candidates must release their most recent tax returns in order to appear on the Michigan ballot.  It would also require […]

This week, the House passed legislation introduced by Representative Aaron Miller (R-Sturgis) that would prevent state representatives and senators who resign from office from running in the special election called to fill their former seat.  According to the bill sponsor, the legislation is designed to clarify that when an elected official resigns or is removed […]

House Speaker Tom Leonard (R-DeWitt Township) announced that House Speaker Pro Tem Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) will lead the House Republican Campaign Committee (HRCC).  Additionally, he announced the remaining members of the team, which are as follows: Finance Co-Chairs Representative Thomas Albert (R-Lowell) Representative Gary Glenn (R-Midland) Representative Mary Whiteford (R-Casco Township) Recruitment Co-Chairs Representative Shane […]

This week, State Elections Director Christopher Thomas announced that he will retire in June.  In 1981, then-Secretary of State Richard Austin (D), appointed Mr. Thomas as the state’s elections director, a position he has held since the initial appointment.  He began his career in elections administration in 1974 by working for the United States House […]

Following the resignation of former Representative Brian Banks last week, Governor Rick Snyder has called for a special election to fill the vacancy.  A special primary election for the seat will be held on August 8, 2017 and the special general election will be held on November 7, 2017.    Both dates coincide with elections already […]

This week, the Michigan Bureau of Elections released its audit findings for 136 Detroit precincts from the November 8, 2016 general election.  The findings largely site human error, not illegal activity, resulted in mismatches between the number of ballots and recorded voters.  The audit found the precinct imbalances were almost entirely caused by precinct worker […]