Citizen Group Pushing to Switch City Council Elections to Even Years

A citizen group is gathering signatures for a ballot proposal to amend the East Lansing City Charter and move City Council elections to even-numbered years.

If the change is made, it would dramatically increase turnout in local elections. A little more than 6,300 ballots were cast in the 2025 East Lansing City Council election, while more than 17,500 East Lansing voters participated in the 2024 general election, according to data on the Ingham County Clerk’s website. 

The increase could be especially pronounced in precincts that feature many Michigan State University students, as student-heavy precincts see very few votes cast in City Council elections. 

To place a charter amendment on the ballot, petitioners must gather signatures from at least 5% of registered voters in the city. The group petitioning for the change, named “Let East Lansing Vote,” estimates about 1,200 signatures will be needed. If enough signatures are gathered by late July, the charter amendment will likely be placed on the November ballot. 

Sarah Reckhow, a political science professor at Michigan State University and the chair of the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission, is one of the organizers of the effort. 

“Right now, we don’t really elect any other offices regularly in these off-cycle odd year elections,” Reckhow said. “So these City Council elections happen, in some cases, all by themselves on the ballot.

“This is a common pattern across the United States,” Reckhow said. “When local governments have off-cycle elections, the voter turnout is much worse.” 

This isn’t the first time the idea of flipping City Council elections to even years has been floated. In 2023, the City Council voted 3-2 to put a charter amendment on the ballot. However, that effort was blocked by the state before it made its way to voters. 

“The difference here is that this initiative would be originating from a citizen petition,” Reckhow said. “So that is a different process than the council placing something on the ballot.”

When the amendment was discussed in 2023, a majority of council members favored the change because it would increase participation in local elections. 

Council members who opposed placing the amendment on the ballot argued that holding local elections alongside larger contests would increase campaign costs, as local candidates would have to compete with state and federal candidates for voters’ attention and name recognition.

If voters approve of the charter amendment, the City Council will still need to approve it before it is put in place. 

If the amendment is eventually enshrined in the City Charter, current City Council members will have their terms extended by a year. 

“For council members whose terms would otherwise end in 2027, they would get one additional year because it is state law that you cannot shorten the term of an existing office holder,” Reckhow said. 

The group began petitioning around the beginning of May and the effort is picking up steam, Reckhow said, as petitioners have already collected about 200 signatures.

More information about the initiative can be found on the Let East Lansing Vote website.