Overview

Read on for some statistics and insights about the level of civic engagement, political engagement and a “state of the state” overview of Michigan.

 

 

Civic and Political Engagement

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service for 2018:

  • 29.4% of residents volunteer, ranking them 36th among the 50 states and Washington, DC.
  • 2,332,772 volunteers
  • 185.9 million hours of service
  • $4.4 billion worth of service contributed

Looking at political engagement specifically, according to this 2018 Wallethub.com study, Michigan ranks #37 based on a weighted average across the following metrics:

  • Percentage of Registered Voters in the 2016 Presidential Election
  • Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2014 Midterm Elections
  • Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2016 Presidential Election
  • Change in Percentage of Electorate Who Actually Voted in the 2016 Elections Compared with the 2012 Elections
  • Total Political Contributions per Adult Population
  • Civic Education Engagement, CIRCLE
  • Voter Accessibility Policies, Ballotpedia

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Center for Responsive Politics, Ballotpedia and Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, CIRCLE.

 

Women in Michigan Politics

As of 2018, there are 33 women legislators in the Michigan House of Representatives, and 4 in the Michigan State Senate – for a total of 37 out of 148 seats in both chambers. This equals 25% of the legislature (Source: NCSL).

See how many women serve in Michigan’s executive offices here.

Michigan ranks 22nd in women’s equality – based on workplace environment (pay, unemployment and entrepreneurship rate disparity), education environment (education levels and math and reading scores), and political empowerment (disparity in elected offices) (Source: Wallethub).

 

What color is Michigan?

Michigan has 16 electoral votes. According to 270towin, “From 1972 through 1988 the state voted exclusively Republican, before becoming part of the ‘blue wall’ that voted Democratic in six consecutive presidential elections from 1992 through 2012. Donald Trump narrowly flipped the state in 2016, defeating Hillary Clinton by just 0.2%. This was the closest state by popular vote percentage in 2016.”

 

State of the State

State Government Structure

The Michigan Legislature is the state legislature of Michigan. It is bicameral, made up of the Michigan Senate, and the Michigan House of Representatives.

After the 2018 election, Michigan came under divided government, meaning no one political party holds the governorship and a majority in the state legislature (known as a state trifecta).

The Senate has 38 members who serve four-year terms.  Each Senator represented an average of 260,096 residents as of the 2010 Census.  There are 110 members of the House of Representatives. They serve two-year terms.  Each House member represented an average of 89,851 residents as of the 2010 Census (Ballotpedia).

Budget Process

The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:

 

  1. Budget instruction guidelines are sent to state agencies in August of the year preceding the start of the new fiscal year.
  2. State agencies submit their requests to the governor in November.
  3. Agency hearings are held in December.
  4. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature in February.
  5. The legislature typically adopts a budget in June or July. The fiscal year begins October 1.

Michigan is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.

The governor is legally required to submit a balanced budget proposal. Likewise, the state legislature is legally required to adopt a balanced budget (Ballotpedia).

 

How Michigan Rates in Terms of Business Climate

A 2018 CNBC study ranks Michigan #11 in terms of overall business climate:

 

Freedom

Michigan ranks #14 in Cato Institute’s 2018 Freedom in the 50 states. The overall freedom ranking is a combination of personal and economic freedoms.

Additional Resources

  • PEW Fiscal 50: State Trends and Analysis
  • PEW Women in Leadership  – see analysis of women in leadership on a national scale
  • National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) Fiscal Survey of States
  • Compare 50 – pick what stats you want to compare with what states here
  • State Data Lab – compare a variety of factors among states here
  • Freedom in the 50 States 2018  – Cato
  • Tax Foundation facts and figures app is available for download

 

What You Can Do

As detailed above, Michiganians have expansive potential for engaging in civic-minded and fiscally responsible activity.  By forming Policy Circles across the state, women can lead the way in ensuring that policies are working and responding to individual needs at the local level.

Here’s what you can do:   

Tell a friend or family member about The Policy Circle by sending them to www.thepolicycircle.org.   Any woman who believes in the power of free markets to unleash human creativity can start a Policy Circle in her area.