Michigan’s first election legislation of the 2025-26 session has made it over the finish line — and more voters could see their ballots counted as a result. On Monday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed four bills into law that would delay the start of some local officials’ terms.

Protecting the Will of the Voters

The laws are designed to ensure that people don’t take office until every vote is counted in their elections. In many communities, local officials previously took office almost immediately after Election Day, meaning ballots counted later might not be considered at all.

Under the new laws, elected officers for cities, townships, and villages — supervisors, trustees, clerks, and so on — won’t be able to start their job any sooner than noon on the first day of the month following their election, which for many positions means Dec. 1. And no one will be able to start until the election is certified by the appropriate canvassers.

Sen. Jeremy Moss, a Democrat from Bloomfield who sponsored two of the bills, said in a news release, “We must take the … step to ensure our local elected officials are not sworn in before the election results are certified.”

The bills take effect immediately.

Original reporting: BridgeDetroit — read the source article.