Proposal 1 asks voters to call a constitutional convention
Andrew Stow said he is ready for change.
That’s why the DeWitt freshman voted “yes” on Proposal 1 when he received his absentee ballot. Proposal 1 asks voters if they would like to call for a constitutional convention. It’s an option brought before Michigan voters every 16 years.
“My view with constitutions is that sometimes they become dead documents and need to be updated with the times,” Stow said. “Hopefully, the Michigan constitution can be brought into a new era and be revised to keep up with the times.”
Stow, however, is in the minority. A new poll released Oct. 28 by EPIC/MRA showed 57 percent of Michigan voters will oppose Proposal 1, 31 percent will approve it and 12 percent remain undecided.
If Proposal 1 is adopted, 148 delegates — one from each senatorial and representative district — will be selected through a partisan election. The convention has no set time limits and delegates can make any changes they see fit. The revised document will then have to be ratified by Michigan voters.
Political science professor James Hill said in a previous interview it is this sense of uncertainty that makes voters hesitant.
“As unhappy as I am with it, there’s a chance you could lose more,” Hill said. “If you add an amendment then that’s the only thing that’s going to change. When you have a convention anything goes.”
While there are no specific figures, it has been estimated a convention would cost approximately $50 million and take two to three years to complete.
If Proposal 1 is turned down, the issue will not be brought before voters again until 2026. Gross Pointe sophomore Aaron Lechner said while he is planning on voting Nov. 2, he is still unsure where he stands on Proposal 1.
“We’re about to have a whole new state government essentially and I don’t think it would be necessary to change the whole constitution while everything else is changing,” Lechner said. “Still, I think it’s interesting what it brings to the table. Sometimes that radical change is necessary.”
