Michigan election 2026: School board, proposals and museums

Detroit public school board

Voters will pick five members of the Detroit Public Schools Community District board from 34 candidates.

• Pick four out of 31 candidates seeking full terms, and pick one candidate out of three for a partial term ending in 2028.

Why it matters: The winners will make decisions impacting 50,000 students, as parents call urgently for better literacy scores and financial transparency on district spending, according to Chalkbeat.

• City historian Jamon Jordan told Chalkbeat it could be a "watershed moment."

Zoom in: Citizen Detroit interviewed 25 candidates. Watch their videos.

Proposal 1

Statewide, voters are deciding if Michigan should create its first constitutional convention in decades, a complex process, per Bridge Michigan.

• Supporters say it provides a method for progress around slow-moving Lansing, while opponents fear drastic changes that benefit big-spending special interests.

Proposal 2

Michigan voters are choosing whether to limit political influence from corporations and utilities.

• The proposal would prohibit regulated electric and gas utilities (such as DTE and Consumers Energy), companies with big government contracts and substantially connected people from making campaign contributions to candidates who affect them.
• Supporters say corporations profiting from the public's trust shouldn't be funding politicians, while those against say it would restrict rights to free political speech.

Museum millage

Wayne and Oakland counties are deciding whether to provide new funding for the Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit Historical Museum and Dossin Great Lakes Museum.

• The museums say they need stable revenue or may close. The money would also be used for new education for students and teachers, too.
• The 10-year property tax proposal is for 0.2 mills, about $30 a year for a home with an average value of $300,000.