A Time for Reflection: What Michigan Decided, and the Work That Continues
November 4, 2026
Dear Friends of MFEI,
Tuesday's results call for reflection rather than reaction. There is a great deal to digest, and we will review results carefully in the coming weeks. For now, I want to share what voters decided, what you accomplished, and why our work matters even more today than it did yesterday.
What voters decided
Democrats won Michigan's top statewide races. According to unofficial results reported by Michigan Public, Jocelyn Benson won the governor's race, Abdul El-Sayed the U.S. Senate seat, Garlin Gilchrist Secretary of State, and Eli Savit Attorney General.
Crain's Detroit Business reports that Democrats also flipped the state House and expanded their state Senate majority, so one party will hold the governor's office and both legislative chambers. One-party governance makes independent oversight of election administration more important, not less.
As Just the News noted, elections are still about the economy first: three quarters of voters described it as in rough shape, and voters held those in power accountable for the cost of living.
On the statewide proposals, voters approved Proposal 2 (Money Out of Politics) with about 81% support and rejected Proposal 1, the constitutional convention question, by about three to one (Bridge Michigan).
All of these figures are unofficial until the county and state canvasses are complete.
Election Day: Volunteers on the Front Line
Whatever outcome each of us hoped for, the election now moves to the canvass. Before we turn to that work, I want to thank the volunteers who were there to see how Election Day unfolded. At the Hamtramck clerk's office, seven people were in line at 8 p.m. The last arrived at 7:59:58.
• Poll challengers in 16 counties. MFEI and PIME were authorized to train and credential poll challengers in 16 counties. These challengers served at precincts, clerk's offices, and absentee counting boards.
• Last in Line. Michigan law allows everyone in line at 8 p.m. to vote, and no one who arrives later. PIME volunteers observed and reported how that rule was applied at polling places and at clerk's offices offering same-day registration.
• Tour of Michigan. PIME volunteers across the state snapped photos and captured videos of voting sites and suspected irregularities. (Send videos and images, and explain who, what, where, when and why to TourOfMichigan@proton.me.)
• Lawful challenges. One challenger saw a man who worked in the building join the line around 8:20 p.m. When the challenger raised a challenge, the man withdrew, and his ballot was spoiled.
• Ready for the canvass. In Sterling Heights and Alaiedon Township, tabulators malfunctioned, requiring ballots to be placed in bags rather than fed into the machines. In other locations volunteers collected tabulator results tapes at the close of polls. These efforts will help us check that every valid ballot is accounted for when the canvass compares precinct totals to the official count.
MFEI and PIME volunteers were everywhere on Tuesday. They observed, they asked questions, and when the law required it, they challenged. As Justice Louis Brandeis wrote, "Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants."
Our volunteers brought that sunlight for the benefit of every voter. They were polite, professional, and persistent.
The work you made possible
Outcomes on a ballot are not the measure of our mission. Our mission is lawful, transparent, accountable election administration, and on that front this was a year of real accomplishment.
• Research that set the record. MFEI's 207-page Compromised Checkpoints report, released in April and revised in October, examined the structural independence of election oversight bodies across 24 states and documented apparent legal defects in Michigan's rule-making process.
• Accountability before the Legislature. MFEI submitted its Treatment of Americans for Citizen Voting (ACVM) Michigan Ballot Petition to the House Select Committee under HR 350.
• A voice before the U.S. Supreme Court. Through counsel Erick Kaardal and Elizabeth Nielsen, MFEI joined amicus briefs in Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections and Watson v. RNC, bringing Michigan evidence to the national debate over standing and ballot-receipt deadlines.
• Michigan Election Issues 2020 & Ripple Effects analyzed the 2020 election and its effects today.
Alongside that work, our Clerk Liaison program built working relationships with local clerks. The DEEP team analyzed voter file (QVF) data:
MFEI's Civera Commission analyzed clerk options for publishing images of ballots. Meanwhile our News@Noon, MFEI News & Commentary, and our Legislative and Litigative Oversight teams kept supporters informed week after week.
What comes next
We live in a republic, not merely a democracy (which our Forefathers considered mob rule). Majorities govern through elected representatives, within the limits of a written constitution. That is why Proposal 2, approved by about 81% of voters, was challenged in federal court within hours (Axios Detroit). We the People decide, and the courts ensure that what they decide is consistent with the Constitution.
The same principle guides our work. MFEI will analyze this election with a focus on the lawfulness and fairness of the process. We'll analyze how ballots were handled, how the canvass and audits are conducted, and whether the rules followed state and federal law. When administration appears to depart from statute, the remedy is careful documentation and the applicable legal process. We will share what we find, with the evidence behind it.
Here is what I ask of us now:
1. Take a breath. Be kind to one another and to our neighbors.
2. Watch the county canvasses. They are public, and observers are welcome.
3. Stay connected through News@Noon, MFEI News & Commentary. Participate in committee meetings.
4. Keep supporting the work. Election integrity is not a one-season effort. It is a permanent commitment and civic duty.
None of this happens without you. Thank you for standing with us. The work continues.
With gratitude,
Patrice Johnson Founder and Chair,
Michigan Fair Elections Institute Chair
Pure Integrity Michigan Elections
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