Proposal for some candidate elections in August requires constitution redraft

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Changing the way candidates for some state positions receive nominations is one of many items that could change following November’s election.

The proposal, spurred by State Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, calls for candidates to receive their nominations through a primary election in August as opposed to being named through party conventions. It applies to positions such as Michigan’s secretary of state and attorney general.

State Rep. Bill Caul, R-Mount Pleasant, said the voters of the state will need to make their feelings on the subject known.

“I’m certainly open to it if the voters of the state want it,” Caul said. “If they want it to go through the voting process, they can certainly push for it.”

The party conventions’ nominations come from delegates, which are supposed to represent their districts over any personal interests, Caul said.

The proposal would put the power in the hands of the voters, which Meadows said is a plus.

“It’s just my view that with more people involved, the better the result will be,” Meadows said. “I’d rather have them chosen from an election than from the back room of a convention hall.”

Meadows said the issue should be brought up soon to state legislators, but no date has been set yet.

Potential costs

Caul said he was not worried about the extra cost of holding more primary elections, as elections are already held in August and adding a few more items to it would only result in a marginal difference in cost.

But making the change from party nomination to elected nominee would require a change to the state constitution, which requires two-thirds of the House and Senate before being put to a general election.

The proposal could find its way onto the constitution without all the hurdles if state voters elect to redraft the constitution this November. A measure to redraft the constitution is on the ballot every sixteen years.

College Democrats President Brad O’Donnell said he is unsure where he stands on the redrafting the constitution, but he thinks the measure faces an uphill battle.

“If you look at our state government, it’s in shambles, so that might be enough to get people to vote in favor of a constitutional convention,” the Clinton Township junior said.

Caul said he thinks the state has more pressing concerns at the present time than holding a costly constitutional convention.

“I just think given the cost of that right now, we have other priorities in Michigan, like balancing the budget,” Caul said. “My preference would be no.”

He noted that the state constitution may have its flaws, but works fine for now.

Other possible changes

If voters decide to change the constitution, Meadows said a number of hot-button issues will be looked at again. He specifically mentioned controversial measures from the past few elections, such as the banning of affirmative action and same-sex marriages in Michigan.

But any consequences are currently unknown because it would put every current part of the constitution up for reexamination.
“I think that there is other damage that could be done to the constitution that we can’t predict right now,” Meadows said. “It’ll be a battle royale.”

State Sen. Tom George, R-Kalamazoo, mentioned that he thinks the tax and Medicaid systems should be reworked if the constitution is redrafted in his February speech at Central Michigan University.

George is not the only one who feels the tax system needs restructuring. Mount Pleasant City Commissioner Kathy Ling told Central Michigan Life in January 2009 she thought the tax system could only be fixed through a constitutional convention, a feeling she still holds.

“My feeling was and is that there are a few pretty significant issues that aren’t going to get fixed without a constitutional convention,” Ling said. “The tax system is a mess.”