ANN ARBOR, MI — Michigan voters will once again be asked whether they want to open the state constitution to a full rewrite process known as a constitutional convention, often shortened to Con-Con. The question appears on the Nov. 3 ballot this fall as Proposal 1.
If voters approve it, the state would begin the steps toward selecting delegates and holding a convention that could recommend changes to the constitution. That possibility is the focus of a public program at the Bentley Historical Library, which will look back at Michigan’s last convention in 1961 and explain why the issue still matters now.
Proposal 1 puts constitutional change back in front of Michigan voters
Every 16 years, Michigan voters are asked whether they want a constitutional convention. This year’s vote asks whether the state should start that process again after more than six decades without one.
A convention would not itself change the constitution overnight, but it would open the door for delegates to propose revisions. Supporters and opponents of such a move often point to the scale of the change involved, since a convention can reshape multiple parts of state government at once.
The Bentley Historical Library’s program is meant to help people understand what is at stake before they cast a ballot. By revisiting earlier conventions, the event aims to give voters a clearer sense of how much authority delegates can hold and how those decisions can reverberate long after the vote.
The 1961 convention remains the state’s most recent example
Michigan’s most recent constitutional convention took place in 1961, and the Bentley Historical Library has preserved a wide range of material from that moment in state history. Its collections include papers from politicians and convention delegates, as well as newspaper coverage, photographs and other documents.
Those records give researchers and the public a chance to see how the convention unfolded and how it was covered at the time. They also help connect older debates to the modern questions voters face when they are asked whether to reopen the constitution.
The library’s collection is especially useful because it shows the convention not as an abstract legal idea, but as a real political process involving people, arguments and public reaction. That historical record is a central part of the October program.
Event will feature historian Lynn Liberato and archivist Michelle McClellan
The October 8 program will feature Lynn Liberato, author of Michigan’s Con-Con 11: Women and State Constitution-making in 1961, along with Michelle McClellan, a Bentley archivist who is helping expand the library’s collections on the convention and broader political history in Michigan.
Their presentation is expected to draw on the library’s archives and on scholarship about the 1961 convention. Together, they will look at the people who shaped that process and the ways their work still reaches into daily life today.
The Bentley’s announcement frames the event as both a history lesson and a civic discussion. By placing the 1961 convention beside this year’s ballot question, organizers hope attendees will better understand what a Con-Con can do and why it remains a recurring issue for Michigan voters.
What attendees can expect at the Bentley Historical Library
The program begins at 6 p.m. at the Bentley Historical Library in Ann Arbor. It is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required.
That format makes the event accessible for residents who want more background before making a decision on Proposal 1. Rather than focusing on campaign arguments, the discussion will center on historical records, constitutional change and the lasting effects of a convention.
The Bentley’s invitation suggests the evening will be an opportunity to reflect on how decisions made decades ago continue to shape the state today. For voters, that perspective may offer a useful way to think about a process that can sound technical but has broad practical consequences.
Why the historical record matters for a modern ballot question
Constitutional conventions can be difficult to picture because they do not happen often. For that reason, the Bentley Historical Library is using its archives to make the process more concrete for the public.
Documents, photos and political papers from 1961 can show how delegates approached their work and how the public responded. Those details can help voters judge whether they want to authorize a similar process now.
In a year when Proposal 1 asks Michigan residents to weigh a major constitutional decision, the library’s event offers a chance to slow down and look closely at the state’s own history. It is a reminder that a single ballot question can open a long and consequential chapter in state government.
