The 2022 Michigan elections were held on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 throughout

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. The

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

made historic gains, taking full control of state government for the first time since 1983. Democrats won control of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

for the first time since 2008, and the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

for the first time since 1984. Additionally, incumbent Democratic governor

Gretchen Whitmer Gretchen Esther Whitmer (born August 23, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006 a ...

won reelection by a wide margin, with Democrats sweeping every statewide office. Furthermore, the Democrats maintained control of their seven seats in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, while the Republican Party took a net loss of one seat (as the state lost one congressional seat due to

reapportionment Apportionment is the process by which seats in a legislative body are distributed among administrative divisions, such as states or parties, entitled to representation. This page presents the general principles and issues related to apportionme ...

after the 2020 census). The elections in Michigan were widely characterized as a " blue wave".

Federal

Congress

House of Representatives

Democrats won seven House seats in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, winning a majority of the House delegation to the Republicans six.

State

Executive

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Incumbent Governor

and Lieutenant Governor

Garlin Gilchrist Garlin Gilchrist II (born September 25, 1982) is an American politician and activist serving as the 64th lieutenant governor of Michigan since 2019. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Early life and education Gilchrist was born in Detroit. ...

won re-election against Tudor Dixon and Shane Hernandez.

Secretary of State

Incumbent Secretary of State

Jocelyn Benson Jocelyn Benson (born October 22, 1977) is an American activist, politician, and former academic administrator. She is the 43rd Secretary of State of Michigan. Benson is a former dean of Wayne State University Law School, a co-founder of the Mili ...

won re-election against Republican Kristina Karamo.

Attorney General

Incumbent Democrat

Dana Nessel Dana Michelle Nessel (born April 19, 1969) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 54th Attorney General of Michigan since January 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Nessel is the second openly lesbian woman elected at ...

won re-election against Republican Matthew DePerno.

Legislature

Senate

All 38 seats in the

were up for election in 2022. Democrats gained four seats, flipping the chamber for the first time since 1982.

House of Representatives

All 110 seats in the

were up for election in 2022. Democrats gained three seats, flipping the chamber for the first time since 2008.

Judiciary

Supreme Court

Two seats on the

Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the state ...

were up for election in 2022.

=Candidates

= * Richard H. Bernstein (Democratic), incumbent Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Michigan (2015–present) *

Kyra Harris Bolden Kyra Harris Bolden (born July 31, 1988) is an associate justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. She was a candidate for the Michigan Supreme Court in 2022, but came in third behind incumbents Richard H. Bernstein, Richard Bernstein and Brian K. Zah ...

(Democratic), incumbent

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

(2019–present) *Paul Hudson (Republican), attorney and chair of appeals group at Miller Canfield, P.L.C. *Kerry Lee Morgan (Libertarian), attorney and

perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates' existence lies in the fact that in some countries, there are no laws that limit a number of times a person can ...

* Brian Zahra (Republican), incumbent Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Michigan (2011–present)

=Results

Ballot initiatives

Proposal 1

Proposal 1, the Legislative Term Limits and Financial Disclosure Amendment, was a legislatively-referred constitutional amendment which modified

term limits A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potenti ...

in the

Michigan state legislature The Michigan Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article IV of the Michigan Constitution ...

. Previously, legislators were limited to serving three terms in the

and two terms in the

. This proposal modified the limit to be a lifetime twelve-year limit for service across both chambers. The proposal also increased financial disclosure requirements for various elected officials. The proposal passed 66-34.

Proposal 2

Proposal 2, the Right to Voting Policies Amendment, was a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment which changed voting procedures in the state with the intent of making it easier for citizens to vote. The proposal passed 60-40.

Proposal 3

Proposal 3, the Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative, was a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment to protect the right to

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

and

contraceptives Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

in the state constitution. The proposal passed 57-43.

Issues

Issues occurred in a few locations with part the Ottawa County Clerk's office losing power and requiring a backup generator, due to a error involving a construction crew that was working on nearby power lines, precincts in Ada Township temporarily running out of ballots, tabulator jams in Kent County due to ballots being marked in pen that had not dried, and long lines as polls were closing at City Hall in

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

.3 hour long line to vote at Grand Rapids City Hall after polls close in Michigan
WZZM

References

External links

* {{2022 United States elections

Michigan elections by year