Yesterday was voting day for Michigan’s 2018 general election and a record-breaking number of citizens across the state traveled to their local precinct to elect a new Governor, U.S. Senator, Secretary of State, and Attorney General, along with deciding if Proposal 1, Proposal 2, and Proposal 3 should become legislation. We’ve rounded up the results from yesterday’s election below.
Michigan Governor:
Democrat and former State Senator Gretchen Whitmer has been elected as state governor, polling 53 percent of statewide votes. Losing by less than roughly 362,000 votes, republican nominee and Michigan’s current Attorney General Bill Schuette accounted for 43 percent of all tallied Michigan ballots. Other nominees Bill Gelineua, Jennifer Kurland, Todd Schleiger, and Keith Butkovich accounted for 1 percent of all votes. Whitmer will take office Jan. 1.
Michigan U.S. Senator:
Beating her republican opponent and former combat veteran John James by nearly 238,000 votes, Debbie Stabenow, Michigan’s first female U.S. Senator, has been re-elected for a fourth term. Representing 51 percent of votes, Stabenow has been in office since 2000. Precisely 46 percent of polls were in favor of James. Nominees Maria Squier, George Huffman, and John Wilhelm accounted for 0 percent of votes.
Michigan Attorney General:
The counting of ballots has concluded, and Michigan’s new Attorney General is Democrat Dana Nessel, who secured 48.5 percent of votes. The race was a close tie with 96% of precincts reporting that Republican Tom Leonard had garnered roughly 46.8 percent of all ballots — a difference of 68,271 votes. Nominees Lisa Gioia accounts for 2 percent of votes, Chris Gravelin at 1.7 percent and Sickle Van at less than 1 percent.
Michigan Secretary of State:
Democrat Jocelyn Benson has won the electoral race for Michigan’s Secretary of State, polling in 52 percent of votes. Benson will replace current Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, whom she previously lost to in the 2010 election for the position. Exactly 2,096,796 individuals voted for Benson while her republican opponent Mary Treder, an executive management professional, received 1,781,192 votes, accounting for 44 percent of all ballots. Other nominees Gregory Stempfle and Robert Gale represented 1 percent of votes.
Proposal 1 (18-1):
A winning number of citizens have voted to pass Proposal 18-1, which seeks to legalize the use of recreational marijuana for state residents aged 21 and up. The proposal would allow citizens of legal age to acquire more than 2.5 ounces of the herb per day and stock 10 ounces in their home, with the condition that it be safeguarded from minor consumption. Cases involving possession will be labeled as civil infractions. On the contingency that 18-2 passes, it will take a month before recreational marijuana will become legalized in the state, and nearly a year before the businesses can receive licenses to sell.
Proposal 2 (18-2):
Voters also passed Proposal 18-2, which will abolish gerrymandering by creating a redistricting committee consisting of 13 citizens, four from both the Democratic and Republican parties, and five that do not identify with either, and will relinquish this authority from state legislators. The group will deny any artisanal participation and reestablish district lines every decade. Central to the group will be creating state lines that representing the population of border-sharing districts — their first meeting is to be no later than Oct. 15, 2020 and will adopt a new a redistricting plan by Nov. 1, 2021.
Proposal 3 (18-3):
Proposal 18-3 will also go into effect , which will allow state residents to cast a ballot in-person or by mail up to 15 days before an election, and register to vote in-person, with evidence of residency, on the same day as the election — a significant change from the registration deadline that ended a month prior to the election. Current rules regarding absentee ballots allow those over the age of 60 and individuals who have disabilities or will be out of town to receive and fill out a ballot at home — excuse required — prior to election day. The proposal will eliminate the need for an excuse to request an absentee ballot.
Related: Statue of Limitations
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