Welcome To Michigan's Oldest & Most Respected
Public Policy Research Organization

For 100 years, the objective of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan has been to provide factual, unbiased independent information on significant issues concerning state and local government organization and finance. CRC believes that the use of this information by policymakers will lead to sound, rational public policy in Michigan.

Upcoming Events

Webinar – Everything you need to know about Proposal 3 – Voting Rights

DATE & TIME October 18, 2018 at 1:00 PM EDT. Proposal 3, a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment on the November 6 statewide ballot in Michigan, would embed a number of voting rights elements in the Michigan Constitution, affecting how people can register to vote, the voting process, and post-election audits. While some of these issues are...

Webinar – Current Issues Affecting Michigan Local Governments: Gerrymandering in Michigan

DATE & TIME: September 25, 2018, 2pm Join Michigan State University Extension to hear a presentation from Jordon Newton of the Citizens Research Council on the state of gerrymandering in Michigan. With a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that would change the way Michigan does redistricting, this webinar will provide a...

Webinar – Everything you need to know about Proposal 2 – Redistricting Reform

DATE & TIME October 17, 2018 at 1:00 PM EDT. Proposal 2, a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment on the November 6 statewide ballot in Michigan, would change the way congressional and legislative districts are redrawn after each census. An independent commission would be established and criteria for the creation of districts would be reest...

Latest Publications

Statewide Ballot Proposal 2018-3 — Voting Rights

Memorandum 1151 | September 2018 Voting and access to the ballot are fundamental to a thriving, well-functioning democracy. While all citizens have a responsibility to vote on Election Day, it falls to the government to ensure that all aspects of the...

Statewide Ballot Proposal 2018-2 — Redistricting

Memorandum 1150 | September 2018 The redistricting process affects the core components of a representative democracy. It determines what candidates people are able to vote for and who an elected representative represents. The term “gerrymanderingâ€...

Quantifying the Level of Gerrymandering in Michigan

Memo 1148 and Report 402 | June 2018 In a Nutshell The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that partisan gerrymandering is subject to judicial review, but has not accepted a standard that can be used to evaluate whether any state redistricting plan violates...

Blog: Research Column

Is Proposal 3 Michigan’s last stop on the straight-party voting merry-go-round?

In a nutshell Michigan voters have been able to vote a straight-party option for 127 years A recent federal court decision upheld the state’s 2015 straight party voting ban; voters will not have the option at the November 2018 general election Prop...

Paid Sick Time Ballot Proposal Becomes Law; What’s Ahead for Michigan?

In a nutshell: Michigan lawmakers adopted a citizen-initiated law requiring employers to provide paid sick time to all employees, effectively keeping the proposal off of the November ballot and making it easier to amend in the future. The paid sick t...

A Tax by Any Other Name is Still a Tax

In a nutshell: The Snyder administration’s proposal for raising revenues to address Michigan’s water infrastructure needs would have every customer attached to a public water system contribute annually to a water infrastructure fund. The ...

  • Your knowledge and ability to distill the key issues in an easily understood manner is indeed impressive. As a long-time member of the Michigan School Business Officials, and current president, I look forward to your presentations and updates. They are thoughtful, balanced, and accurate. To say that you are a credible source on state finances is an understatement.

    Timothy Raymer
    Assistant Superintendent, Grandville Public Schools

  • The Citizens Research Council of Michigan -- the folks that bring you all those great non-partisan reports and data on Michigan government, laws, etc. are finally up and running on the web and it was worth the wait. This is a great site. Low-key graphics, great indexing, plenty of content including all their reports, research and memos...This is an invaluable tool...

    Debbie Gallagher, Government Information Specialist
    Michigan Electronic Library, University of Michigan

  • The Citizens Research Council of Michigan has been providing unbiased analysis of public issues since 1916. It is one of this state's indispensable institutions... The CRC's supporters recognize the need for impartial and nonpartisan analysis of local and state policy and fiscal issues... The value of the CRC over the years has been that it is private and independent of political party or ideology.


    The Detroit News

  • Dear CRC,
    Thank you for all the fine work you do. I'm a long time reader of you analyses and am a better citizen because of it.

    George Matthews
    Retired School Teacher

  • I have had a long relationship using the publications of the Citizens Research Council...you do a lot of good work here and we appreciate the support that keeps this operation so vital and relevant to the debates in Lansing, to Michigan's economic future, and to Michigan's future, period.

    Honorable John Engler
    Former Michigan Governor

  • The Citizens Research Council strives, without regard to political party or agenda, to frame educational issues in a balanced and thought-provoking context. Its consistent record of objectivity and thoroughness has made the CRC a high quality and immensely credible resource for policymakers at the state and local leadership levels. You can always count on CRC's findings to be solid and trustworthy.

    Mike Flanagan
    Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction

  • Fortunately, we have here in Michigan an admirable entity known as the Citizens Research Council. CRC often comes to the rescue in public policy disputes and has demonstrated an acute ability to separate fact from fiction.

    Glenn Gilbert
    Oakland Press

  • The non-aligned Citizens Research Council of Michigan is a group with no particular axes to grind that we can see. Their bare-bones, passionless and objective studies of Michigan's ballot proposals might prove very helpful to interested voters wanting to make the most informed possible choices.


    Muskegon Chronicle

  • Since 1916, the CRC has been an advocate of state and local "good government." The Research Council's studies of policy and administrative practice in Michigan win national prizes for excellence, and universal respect from the best of our state and local leaders.

    Michael Meagher
    Fowlerville News/Review

  • Nonpartisan, accurate, unbiased and credible research on key issues, from school vouchers to Internet sales tax to better ways to finance highway construction to ideas for eliminating the blight of abandoned, tax-reverted properties in Michigan's older cities.

    Mary Kramer
    Crain's Detroit Business

  • [Escanaba Schools Superintendent Tom] Smith respects the findings of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan. "It's a pretty good group, well-respected, nonpartisan," he said. "Its opinions have been valued by both Democrats and Republicans as they formulate state policy"and by teachers and administrators alike."


    Daily Press, Escanaba

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