Michigan’s Past Con-Cons: Failures, Successes and Trends to Amend
About this episode
The episode discusses Michigan's past Constitutional Conventions and their relevance to current issues as voters prepare for Proposal 1.
On November 3, Michigan voters will be asked to vote on Proposal 1, which asks whether Michigan should hold a Constitutional Convention, or Con-Con, to review As Guy notes, the past can be prologue, especially regarding the kinds of issues Michigan faced in 1961, when residents last voted to hold a Con-Con, a vote that was approved by voters in 1963. Big issues at the time included equal protection and civil rights, with conflicts occurring across Michigan and nationally, leading to a desire to strengthen Michigan’s declaration of rights (Article I). The legislative branch, how it functioned and how legislators were chosen were problems. And voters wanted improvements in Michigan’s finance and taxation system. Michigan’s state finances were a mess. Many of today’s hot-button issues are similar but different, such as equal protection, which voters may think about today less as being about racial issues and more as it relates to gender, sexual identification, religious identification and LGBTQ rights. Many amendments to Michigan’s constitution have also dealt with the declaration of rights, as it relates to same sex marriage, affirmative action, stem cell research and abortion. And…
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