Vote yes on prop 1

Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) is urging members to vote yes on Proposal 1 on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.

If passed, term limits become more flexible, allowing state legislators to serve up to 12 years, regardless of whether their time is spent in the House, Senate, or a combination of the two. Current law restricts state lawmakers to 6 years in the House and 8 years in the Senate.

County Farm Bureau members from across the state voted in late June to support the initiative, which led to the organization joining the bipartisan coalition Voters for Transparency and Terms Limits, the driving force working to pass Proposal 1.

“We believe Proposal 1 meets voters in the middle,” said MFB Government Relations Specialist Matt Kapp.

“Most voters are still in favor of term limits, yet there’s a need to have elected officials amass more experience and build a stronger bank of knowledge on issues facing consumers, businesses and industries like agriculture and Michigan farm families.”

Kapp said the proposal will help elected officials become more effective as House and Senate leaders and as committee chairs and members.

“Farm Bureau policy has for years expressed concerns with the current term limit structure,” he said. “Proposal 1 retains term limits while enabling representatives and senators to gain more experience and provide them the flexibility to stay in the House or Senate if, for one reason or another, they want to continue running in a certain district.”

Ancillary to the term limit changes, passage of Proposal 1 would also institute more robust annual financial disclosures to the Department of State for the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and each member of the legislature.

The Board of State Canvassers on Aug. 19 unanimously approved the language to appear on the general election ballot. It reads:

A proposal to amend the state constitution to require annual public financial disclosure reports by legislators and other state officers and change state legislator term limit to 12 total years in legislature.

This proposed constitutional amendment would:

• Require members of legislature, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and attorney general file annual public financial disclosure reports after 2023, including assets, liabilities, income sources, future employment agreements, gifts, travel reimbursements, and positions held in organizations except religious, social, and political organizations.
• Require legislature implement but not limit or restrict reporting requirements.
• Replace current term limits for state representatives and state senators with a 12-year total limit in any combination between house and senate, except a person elected to senate in 2022 may be elected the number of times allowed when that person became a candidate.

Should this proposal be adopted? [ ] YES [ ] NO

Support Friends of Agriculture

AgriPac, MFB’s political action committee, also encourages voting for endorsed Friends of Agriculture in the general election, including gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon. View the complete list of farm-friendly candidates.