Michigan's ballot proposals for 2022 election: Everything you need to know

This fall, Michigan voters will weigh in on three statewide ballot proposals that would amend the Michigan Constitution to modify term limits for state lawmakers, establish early voting in the state and protect the right to seek abortions among other changes.

For some voters, these proposals may appear on the back side of the ballot, so be sure to flip over the ballot if you want to weigh in on these proposed constitutional amendments.

The Free Press has put together a summary of each proposal.

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Proposal 1

Proposal 1 would allow state lawmakers to serve up to 12 years in the state Legislature but allow them to spend all those years in either the Michigan House or Michigan Senate.

Today, state lawmakers can spend up to 14 years in the state Legislature, serving up to three two-year terms in the state House and up to two four-year terms in the state Senate. If voters adopt Proposal 1, a state lawmaker could serve up to six two-year terms in the state House or up to three four-year terms in the state Senate.

The proposal would also require state lawmakers and those holding top statewide offices to disclose information about their finances that could reveal potential conflicts of interest. Under the constitutional amendment, the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general and state legislators would have to file an annual report that includes a description of their assets and liabilities, sources of income and positions held outside of government among other disclosures.

More:Proposal 2 in Michigan: A guide to the wide-ranging amendment focused on elections

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Proposal 2

Proposal 2 is a wide-ranging constitutional amendment that would impact Michigan elections. While some of the proposed changes would codify or clarify existing processes from voter ID rules to certifying elections, they also include new ones such as establishing at least nine days of in-person early voting, allowing military and overseas ballots postmarked by Election Day that arrive within six days of the election to count and enabling voters to automatically receive absentee ballots for all future elections.

Additionally, it would establish a "fundamental right to vote" in the Michigan Constitution and bar actions that have "the intent or effect of denying, abridging, interfering with, or unreasonably burdening the fundamental right to vote." And it would require state-funded ballot drop boxes in every municipality − at least one for every 15,000 voters − as well as state-funded prepaid postage for absentee ballot applications and return envelopes. Under the amendment, election offices could also accept publicly disclosed donations and in-kind contributions.

More:Michigan's abortion amendment: Here's what it will and won't do if approved

More:Proposal 3 on abortion access could leave questions for Michigan Supreme Court to decide

Proposal 3

Proposal 3 would add an explicit right to seek abortions to the Michigan Constitution after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed a national right to abortion for nearly half a century.

Courts have temporarily suspended enforcement of a Michigan law currently on the books criminalizing most abortions, including in cases of rape or incest.

But Proposal 3 would establish a "fundamental right to reproductive freedom, which entails the right to make and effectuate decisions about all matters relating to pregnancy."

The constitutional amendment states that the "right to reproductive freedom shall not be denied, burdened, nor infringed upon unless justified by a compelling state interest achieved by the least restrictive means."

The amendment defines a "compelling" state interest: "the limited purpose of protecting the health of an individual seeking care, consistent with accepted clinical standards of practice and evidence-based medicine, and does not infringe on that individual's autonomous decision-making."

The amendment lays out a separate legal standard for regulating abortion care after fetal viability, defined as the point in a pregnancy when a health care professional determines that a fetus could likely survive outside the uterus. It opens the door to restrictions to abortions post-viability so long as they don't prohibit a health care professional deems medically necessary "to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant individual."

Clara Hendrickson fact-checks Michigan issues and politics as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA. Contact her at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on Twitter @clarajanehen.