The United States Supreme Court recently ruled that state legislatures must abide by the election laws of their respective states.[1]  Read More › Tags: Election & Campaign Finance Law, Legislative Updates, U.S. Supreme Court ..read more

In this year’s midterm election, Michigan voters passed three constitutional amendments, two of which make significant changes to the state’s election process, impacting voters, candidates, and office holders. So, what do these amendments do? Let’s examine. Read More › Tags: Alerts and Updates, Legislative Updates ..read more

With mid-term elections right around the corner, on Friday October 7, Governor Whitmer signed a package of bills which includes a handful of changes to how clerks process ballots, including those coming from our military serving overseas. Read More › Tags: Alerts and Updates, Campaign Finance (MCFA), Legislative Updates, News ..read more

Nearly seven years after its landmark ruling in Reed v Town of Gilbert, the U.S. Supreme Court has clarified a question that has split circuits across the country: can a municipality still differentiate between on- and off-premises signs? The court, in City of Austin v Reagan National Advertising of Austin, LLC, has held that such distinction is facially content neutral under the First Amendment and therefore a valid regulation. This overturns past Sixth Circuit (which covers Michigan) precedent. Read More › Tags: Alerts and Updates, Case Law Updates ..read more

On February 3, in a narrow 4-3 decision, the Michigan Supreme Court dismissed a challenge to the newly drawn legislative districts approved by the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) late last year. Read More › Tags: Campaign Finance (MCFA), Candidates and Committees, Compliance, News ..read more

On November 17, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit rejected a constitutional challenge brought forward by a bipartisan group of Michigan state legislators arguing that their state’s term limits violate their constitutional rights. Read More › Tags: 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, Alerts and Updates, Candidates and Committees, Legislative Updates, News ..read more

Once every ten years, the US Constitution requires a count of all persons residing in the country for the purpose of reapportioning the US House of Representatives. The Census Bureau uses this count to determine how many house seats each state is entitled to. From there, each state draws its own congressional maps using the census data; here in Michigan, we have an independent citizens redistricting commission to draw both congressional districts and state house and senate districts. Read More › Tags: Alerts and Updates, Candidates and Committees ..read more

As the Michigan Legislature continues to explore election reform, one bill has received near unanimous bipartisan support in the House. House Bill 4528 requires political parties, organizations, committees and their members to complete comprehensive training before serving as election challengers. Read More › Tags: Candidates and Committees, Legislative Updates ..read more

Revisiting Reed v Town of Gilbert & Its Impact on Local Sign Regulations The 2020 election is over, but politically motivated signs – including signs with controversial or even profane language – are still everywhere. Although many municipalities have sign ordinances, those ordinances might not be enforceable if they are based on the content of the message.   Read More › Tags: Alerts and Updates, Compliance, Did you Know?, U.S. Supreme Court ..read more

Michigan Election Law (MEL) regulates every aspect of voting, including what happens to a ballot after it is cast. As one Michigan township clerk recently found out, if those rules are not closely followed, clerks and other election officials could be facing misdemeanor charges. Read More › Tags: Alerts and Updates, Compliance ..read more