Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed four bills on June 22 aimed at barring local officials from taking office before election results are certified.
Michigan counts ballots from military members and voters overseas if they are postmarked by Election Day and arrive within six days afterward. That means some local results are not final until nearly a week after the election. This window was added to the state constitution by the ballot initiative Proposal 2 of 2022.
The new laws change the date when local terms begin. Township and village officers now take office on Dec. 1 following their election—pushed back from Nov. 20 for townships. City officers’ terms begin at noon on the first day of the month after their election. The bills also bar anyone elected to fill a local vacancy from taking the oath of office until the appropriate board of canvassers certifies the results….