© 2024 MICHIGAN PUBLIC
91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit 104.1 Grand Rapids 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Welcome to Michigan Radio’s coverage page for the 2012 Election.If you’re looking for more information to help with your decisions, you can read our collection of stories about key races featured below.You can also check out our Guide to the Ballot Proposals.

Live blog: Election results in Michigan

Julian H. Gonzalez
/
Twitter

We'll be posting news and information about election results here in Michigan on this blog post.

Refresh for updates.

Here are the vote tallies so far in Michigan.

You can also check out our Live Blog: Battleground ... contributions from NPR member stations.

And NPR's national live blog is below.

Update 1:52 a.m.

Thank you for following this blog. We're tired now, and we're going home. Our news team in the morning will pick things up and report on the races we've been following around Michigan.

1:36 a.m.

President Obama speaking to a crowd in Chicago now.

Here's an update on the Ann Arbor votes:

The Library Millage looks like it is headed for defeat with 71% reporting:

54% NO to 45% YES

The Arts proposal also appears to be failing:

55% NO to 45% YES

The parks millage in Ann Arbor passed.

1:19 a.m.

The race for Michigan's 1st Congressional District is very close with 87% reporting:

  • Gary McDowell (D) 48%
  • Dan Benishek (R) 48%

1:12 a.m.

The race for 2 seats on the Michigan's Supreme Court is close. With 66% reporting:

  • Bridget Mary McCormick 24%
  • Stephen Markman (incumbent) 23%
  • Colleen O'Brien 22%
  • Connie Kelly 21%

12:51 a.m.

Update on Proposal 1 - 61% reporting:

  • 51% no
  • 49% yes

Still waiting on votes from Wayne County.

12:38 a.m.

Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger (R-Marshall) wins in a tight race for the 63rd District in Michigan over Bill Farmer (D).

12:31 a.m.

It's a waiting game in Ann Arbor (60% of the vote counted):

Ann Arbor Library Millage: 53% no, 46% yes

Ann Arbor Arts Proposal: 54% no, 45% yes

12:20 a.m.

Proposal 1 update:
(with 51% precincts reporting)

51% no, 49% yes

Dan Kildee has been elected to Congressional District 5.

12:17 a.m.

Kerry Bentivolio (R) in Michigan's 11th Congressional District is leading with 50% of the vote to Sayed Taj's (D) 44% - 77% of the vote is counted.

Kerry Bentivolio leaves "victory party" without making formal speech; reporters feel cheated.

The race for Michigan's 1st Congressional District is neck and neck.

Dan Benishek (R) 48%
Gary McDowell (D) 48%
(69% of the vote counted)

11:55 p.m.

Labor leaders are looking to regroup in the wake of the defeat of Proposal 2.

The measure would have locked collective bargaining rights into the state Constitution.

Detroit Federation of Teachers President Keith Johnson says without the amendment, organized labor will likely continue to lose clout.
 
"It allows statutes to be passed by the Legislature that pretty much peel away at collective bargaining rights like skin off of an onion," said Johnson.
 
Organized labor leaders also hope to defeat Proposal 1, and repeal Michigan's emergency manager law. That race has yet to be called.

11:50 p.m.

All the proposed amendments to the Michigan Constitution went down tonight, including the Bridge vote (Proposal 6). The family that owns the Ambassador Bridge that backed Proposal 6, the Moroun family, spent close to $30 million on the campaign.

In a statement released tonight, the family defended their investment in the campaign:

"We are happy with the investment made in this campaign on behalf of taxpayers and the 5,000 families employed by Ambassador Bridge family of companies. Like any family business, we would do it again - and will in different ways - to defend economic freedom and limited government."

11:45 p.m.

Winnie Brinks (D) defeats Roy Schmidt (R) in the 76th State House District in Grand Rapids.

11:42 p.m.

Michigan Radio's Sarah Hulett recorded this sound at the Democratic Party reception at the MGM Grand in Detroit after President Obama was declared the victor:

http://www.environmentreport.org/audio/ELXNobamavictoryAMB.mp3

11:32 p.m.

The referendum on Michigan's emergency manager law stands at 55% No, and 45% Yes with 41% of the precincts reporting.

11:22 p.m.

Just about every news outlet, except NPR and the New York Times, have called the election for President Obama.

11:16 p.m.

NBC News is calling the election for President Obama.

11:13 p.m.

Proposal 1, the referendum on Michigan's Emergency Manager law is in a dead heat. With 35% of the vote counted it stands at 50% for, 50% against.

The Dean of the House will remain the Dean. Congressmen John Dingell (D-Dearborn) has won Michigan's redrawn 12th District. This will be Dingell's 30th term in Congress.

*correction - an earlier post here said this was going to be Dingell's 29th term.

10:59 p.m.

Incumbent Gary Peters (D) wins in Michigan's 14th Congressional District.

Republican-backed Brian Zahra wins his race for the Michigan Supreme Court.

10:55 p.m.

Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger (R-Marshall) is still in a tight race for the 63rd District in Michigan. With 28% of the precincts reporting, it's Jase Bolger (R) 53% and Bill Farmer (D) 47%.

10:47 p.m.

Senator Debbie Stabenow has declared victory in her bid for reelection. Speaking in front of Michigan Democrats at the MGM Grand Casino in Detroit, Stabenow thanked her staff and supporters.

"You know, we have been through so much in our state, and we know it," she said. "But a lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifice has allowed us to say ‘we’re coming back! Michigan is coming back!'"

Pete Hoekstra accepting defeat for his U.S. Senate bid.
Credit Lindsey Smith / Michigan Radio
/
Michigan Radio
Pete Hoekstra accepting defeat for his U.S. Senate bid.

When asked if he would run for statewide office again, Stabenow's Republican challenger, former Congressman Pete Hoekstra said, "who knows you cross that bridge when you come to it."

10:31 p.m.

It looks like residents in the struggling city of Flint, which is under the control of a state-appointed emergency financial manager, are voting to tax themselves for police and fire services.

Our reporter Steve Carmody tweets:

"Flint police and fire millage Yes 60.4% to No 39.5% 21% of precincts reporting"

And with the way Proposal 1 is going, that "emergency financial manager" in Flint could go back to being an "emergency manager" with all the powers that go with it (dissolving union contracts and taking control from locally elected officials).

10:17 p.m.

Republican Justices will retain a 4-3 majority on Michigan's Supreme Court according to the Detroit Free Press.

And just to reiterate... Gongwer News Service says Proposals 2-6 are dead.

In Michigan's 11th District Kerry Bentivolio (R) leads Syed Taj (D) 50% to 44%.

10:10 p.m.

NPR reports Republicans will keep control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

To see updates on the Michigan Supreme Court races, scroll down to the bottom of our spreadsheet on our 2012 Michigan election results page.

10:00 p.m.

Troy Mayor Janice Daniels is struggling to hold onto her job.

A recall campaign stands at 51% Yes, 48% No (1 of 31 precincts reporting).

9:54 p.m.

There's a tight race for the 1st Congressional District in Michigan.

With 26% of the precincts reporting:

  • Dan Benishek (R) 49%
  • Gary McDowell (D) 47%

And an update on the Ann Arbor Arts Proposal - 47% Yes - 52% No (10 percent of the precincts reporting).

9:48 p.m

We're going to be watching Proposal 1 for a bit. This one is still close (8% of the precincts reporting):

  • 54% favor the emergency manager law.
  • 46% oppose the law.

Check out ALL the numbers here.

9:42 p.m.

Buckeyes cheer for Wolverines?? NPR's Don Gonyea tweets:

"Never heard an Ohio crowd cheer for Michigan as loud as they did her in Columbus tonight."

And the Kalamazoo Gazette reports Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger is in a tight race with Democrat Bill Farmer.

9:35 p.m.

The Ann Arbor District Library Millage stands at 75% No and 25% Yes.

9:29 p.m.

All of the Proposed Constitutional Amendments on the Michigan ballot are losing big tonight, most by a 2-to-1 margin.

Joel Henry of Bloomfield Hills says he's disappointed to hear that Proposal 3 looks like it will fail.

The measure would have required that Michigan utilities generate a quarter of their power from renewable sources by 2025.

9:21 p.m.

Here are specifics on the Bridge vote... it's going down... and going down big, so far.

From the Detroit News: Proposal 6: Bridge Amendment currently 64% no 38% yes

9:16 p.m.

President Barack Obama has won Michigan, and Democratic incumbent Senator Debbie Stabenow (D) has also won re-election.

Early returns show Mr. Obama leading key districts by double digits in Michigan.

We also know that Early returns show Proposal 1 - the referendum on the state's emergency manager law, is out to an early lead.

With a small amount of the votes counted, proposal one is passing 54 to 46-percent.

George Fowler from Detroit is at the Democrats' election night party in Detroit.

He says he's worried about exit polls suggesting the referendum on the emergency manager law is close. He wants to see the law repealed.

All of the other statewide ballot proposals seem to be losing by a 2-to-1 margin.

9:04 p.m.

President Obama is the projected winner for Michigan.

And the Detroit Free Press is reporting that all five ballot proposals seeking to amend Michigan's Constitution have failed.

8:52 p.m.

President Obama is taking an early lead in Michigan 53% to 47% Romney (2% of the vote).

Early voting shows support for Michigan's Emergency Manager Law (Public Act 4). Proposal 1 is passing 59% to 41% against.

8:39 p.m.

In early counting, Michigan proposals 3, 4, and 5 are losing by a margin of 2 to 1.

8:21 p.m.

We're still waiting for official numbers from the Michigan Secretary of State and from the counties that have races we're keeping an eye on.

Check out our 2012 Michigan Election results page.

Polls close in the western U.P. at 9 p.m. eastern.

8:14 p.m.

The Detroit Free Press is telling us that the referendum on the state's controversial emergency manager law appears close (Proposal 1):

Only Proposal 1 — the attempt to repeal Michigan’s emergency manager law — was too close to call, based on the live operator survey of 600 voters by EPIC-MRA of Lansing, conducted for the Free Press, WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) and other media partners.

If this law is voted down, lawmakers would likely work to draft a new law to replace it.

8:08 p.m.

Exit polls show Senator Debbie Stabenow (D) appears headed for victory, and that all five ballot proposals that called for amendments to the Michigan Constitution appear headed for defeat (Proposal 2 through 6).

8:02 p.m.

Exit polls in Michigan show the presidential race in Michigan is too close to call.

We'll have to count them.

7:45 p.m.

The AP will wait until the polls close at 9 p.m. to call races in Michigan. Reporter Kathy Barks Hoffman tweets the AP is likely to call the Michigan Senate race for Debbie Stabenow (D).

"AP likely to call US Senate race for Debbie @stabenow as soon as Mich. polls close in western UP at 9 p.m. EST. #mivotes"

7:35 p.m.

The big news so far is long lines at the polls. Some waited for more than 3.5 hours to vote. And long lines are still out there.

If voters are in line by 8 p.m., they can vote.

The NAACP in Detroit is asking that polls stay open late for voters.

Mark Brush was the station's Digital Media Director. He succumbed to a year-long battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in March 2018. He was 49 years old.
Related Content