Michigan House Republicans hold narrow majority
For the next two years, Republicans will retain the majority in the Michigan House of Representatives, as well as the House Speaker position. Republicans and Democrats both agreed the GOP would win at least 56 seats in the 110-seat chamber.
As of Wednesday morning, at least four races remained too close to call. Prior to the election, Republicans held the House by a margin of 64-46. The current House session ends in December.
Factors that influenced the race include the economy, the impact of state budget decisions and presidential politics. Republicans said their tax and budget changes have helped improve Michigan’s economy. Democrats were likely helped in some districts by the victories of President Barack Obama and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
Statewide ballot proposals fail
All six of Michigan’s proposed state constitutional amendments failed to pass. Proposal 1, the emergency manager law, was too close to call until early Wednesday, but eventually went down 52 percent to 48 percent.
The failure of Proposal 1 means a repeal of the previous emergency manager law will go into effect. State Republicans have a proposal for a new law, currently under legal review.
Proposal 2 would have given workers the right to organize and bargain collectively through labor unions. The proposal failed 58 percent to 42 percent.
Proposal 3, which failed 63 percent to 47 percent, would have required that 25 percent of Michigan’s energy come from renewable sources by 2025.
Proposal 4 failed by 57 percent to 43 percent. The proposal would have undone a law signed by Snyder and allowed in-home care workers to bargain collectively with the Michigan Quality Home Care Counsel.
Proposal 5, failing 69 percent to 31 percent, would have required a 2/3 majority vote from state officials or a majority vote from the public to allow the government to impose or increase taxes.
Proposal 6, which failed by 60 percent to 40 percent, would have required a statewide vote for any bridge or tunnel project.
Ypsilanti, Willow Run School districts to merge
Ypsilanti Public Schools and Willow Run Community Schools will be consolidating into a single, unified district as a result of Tuesday’s election. The proposals passed with a percentage of 61 percent to 38 percent.
The boards from Ypsilanti and Willow Run will be disbanded and replaced by a new, seven-member board appointed by the Washtenaw Intermediate School District Board of Education.
All faculty and staff will be required to reapply for their positions and contracts will have to be rewritten, which will result in district-wide layoffs.
Voters also passed the operating millage proposal for the newly united district. While the millage is new, it is the same amount of taxation currently in the communities.
First openly gay senator
Tammy Baldwin made history when she became the first openly gay U.S. senator. Baldwin, a Democrat, defeated former Gov. Tommy Thompson to win her Wisconsin senate seat.
“I didn’t run to make history,” Baldwin said in her victory speech.
“I ran to make a difference; a difference in the lives of families struggling to find work and pay the bills.”
The 50-year-old also became Wisconsin’s first female senator with her victory.
“Tammy Baldwin’s victory showed what a majority of Americans already know: that candidates should be judged on their qualifications for the job and not their sexual orientation,” said Herndon Graddick, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, in a statement.
Colorado, Washington pass recreational marijuana laws
Voters in Colorado and Washington have passed ballot proposals legalizing marijuana for recreational use.
Colorado’s Proposition 64 makes it legal for anyone over the age of 21 to possess marijuana, and also allows businesses to sell it.
A similar proposition in Washington makes small amounts of marijuana legal for those over 21.
The legalization of recreational marijuana in the states is likely to face challenges, as the drug is still banned under federal law.
“The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will,” said
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper in a statement. “This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug, so don’t break out the Cheetos or gold fish too quickly.”
Maine, Maryland, Minnesota approve same-sex marriage
Voters in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Wisconsin showed support for same-sex marriage in Tuesday’s election.
Minnesota voted down Amendment 1, a constitutional amendment defining marriage as solely between one man and one woman. The state is the first to vote against such an amendment on the ballot.
Voters in Maine, Maryland and Washington passed ballot proposals legalizing same-sex marriage on Election Day, joining six other states and Washington D.C. who previously legalized gay marriage through state legislators and court decisions.
Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, an organization that has long advocated for same-sex marriage, spent more than $5 million in support of gay marriage in Maryland and Maine.
“This is a landmark election for marriage equality and we will forever look back at this year as a critical turning point in the movement for full citizenship for LGBT people,” Griffin said in a press release Tuesday night.
