Lansing Voters Submit Signatures for a November Healthcare Ballot Measure
Lansing residents submitted 7,385 signatures to the Lansing City Clerk on July 14, 2026, seeking to place a healthcare advisory measure on the November ballot. The required minimum was 4,433 signatures. Community Action Michigan, a political committee formed in April 2026, organized the effort.
The proposal would create a Citizens’ Advisory Healthcare Action Committee charged with preparing a biennial Healthcare Action Plan. The committee would hold community forums, analyze local data, and make formal recommendations to the city on addressing healthcare costs and barriers to care.
7,385 signatures submitted against a threshold of 4,433, a 67% margin above the minimum requirement.
That cushion matters because city clerks must verify signatures before certifying a measure for the ballot. A larger submission reduces the risk of falling below the threshold after invalid signatures are removed.
Five Other Michigan Cities Are Running the Same Campaign
Lansing is one of six Michigan cities where Community Action Michigan has published identical ballot language. East Lansing, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, and Portage are all running parallel campaigns. As of July 14, 2026, signatures have been submitted to local clerks in East Lansing, Kalamazoo, and Portage, in addition to Lansing.
The geographic spread is deliberate. Organizers are trying to build regional pressure on healthcare access, not just a single-city advisory board.
What Physicians and Patients Say Is Driving This
Dr. Todd R. Otten, a Lansing family physician, spoke at the July 14 press conference.
“People who have no health coverage often don’t see a physician until a medical condition becomes a medical crisis.”
Dr. Todd R. Otten, MD, Lansing family physician, July 14, 2026
Otten’s point is a documented pattern in emergency medicine. Patients without primary care access use emergency departments as their first point of contact, which drives up costs for patients and hospital systems alike.
Dana Watson, an East Lansing cancer survivor, described a different but related problem: coverage that still leaves families financially devastated.
“My out-of-pocket costs, copays, deductibles and other additional expenses devastated my family financially. I have come to know many Michiganders who work in healthcare and serve as caregivers who cannot afford healthcare themselves.”
Dana Watson, cancer survivor and East Lansing resident, July 14, 2026
Her account reflects a gap the Citizens’ Advisory Committee is specifically designed to surface: people with insurance who still cannot afford care.
What You Can Do Now
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If you live in Lansing, East Lansing, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, or Portage, contact Community Action Michigan through their ballot language site to ask how to volunteer for signature verification support or the November get-out-the-vote effort. Ballots are certified before signatures are verified, so local volunteer presence helps.
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Contact your Lansing City Council member at (517) 483-4000 and ask them to publicly support the Citizens’ Advisory Healthcare Action Committee proposal. Council support signals to the city clerk’s office that the measure has broad community backing.
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Call U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett’s district office at (517) 993-0510. Barrett represents Lansing and Charlotte. Tell his staff you support local healthcare advisory measures and want him to support, not oppose, community-driven healthcare access efforts in mid-Michigan.
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Share the ballot language with neighbors in the six participating cities. Community Action Michigan has published the full proposal text at their website. Voter turnout in November city elections is typically low, and ballot measure passage depends on getting infrequent voters to the polls.
Sources
Michigan Advance: Lansing signatures submitted for healthcare ballot proposal, one of 6 statewide