MichMash: Lawmakers Have Left Lansing, Are Headed for Your Front Door This Summer

Jake Neher and Cheyna Roth talk about what the summer campaign season means for lawmaking in Michigan.

Michigan state capitol building

Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing, MI in January, 2018.

WDET Digital

Campaign season is in full swing in Michigan as candidates gear up for the August primaries.

As part of a new weekly series called MichMash, Jake Neher and Cheyna Roth talk about whether state lawmakers will get anything done during the summer campaign season.

First thing’s first — if and when you see your local lawmakers wandering around your neighborhood knocking on doors, they might take exception to the suggestion that they’re on “summer break.”

“In-district work period,” state Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof says, correcting reporters. “I’m going to get you guys trained on that before you leave,” he says with a chuckle.

“No you won’t,” one reporter responds (you’re in good company if you continue to use the “break” terminology).

Roth explains that an “in-district work period” *cough*SummerBreak*cough* is a time, usually around the holidays or over the summer, in which lawmakers stop their normal three-day-a-week session schedule in Lansing and go back to their home districts. It’s a time for them to work on constituent relations and re-connect with the issues that are most pressing in their home communities.

But this summer, we’re also in an election year. The August primaries are creeping up quickly. That means lawmakers will also be knocking doors and trying to get their message out as much as possible before voters head to the polls. 

Neher and Roth say this is an opportunity for you, as a constituent and as a voter, to hold lawmakers accountable and have your voice heard on important issues.

Click on the audio player above to hear that conversation.

Authors

  • Cheyna Roth is the co-host and creator of WDET's state politics podcast, MichMash. She has been an audio journalist for almost a decade, covering major events like presidential elections, college scandals, the Michigan Legislature and more, appearing on NPR and across Michigan public radio stations. Cheyna is also a senior producer and podcast host for Slate.com, having produced and hosted shows like Political Gabfest, The Waves, and What Next TBD. Also an author, Cheyna has written two true crime books and her written work has appeared in Broadly, Slate, and MLive, among others.
  • Jake Neher is senior producer for Detroit Today and host of MichMash for 101.9 WDET. He previously reported on the Michigan Legislature for the Michigan Public Radio Network.