Ann Arbor for Public Power will draft a ballot proposal to submit to Ann Arbor, Michigan’s November 2026 election.
The coalition of local residents and groups plans to collect over 5,000 signatures once the language is approved, the group said in early September.
The ballot question would ask voters to create the board of the public electric utility, before taking over DTE infrastructure at a later date. The initiative would not create new taxes and would cost the voter nothing, the group pointed out.
“In the future, a public power utility is highly likely to provide more reliable, more renewable, and less costly power to the Ann Arbor community,” the group said.
“The first question for voters is: do you want this? The plan is to create the board of the public utility in the 2026 election, before taking over poles and wires from DTE,” said A2P2’s Executive Director Brian Geiringer. “Creating the board will cost the people of Ann Arbor zero dollars, and it will put the process of dumping DTE in motion.”
The group has been campaigning for public ownership of Ann Arbor’s electricity since 2020.
Ann Arbor for Public Power is a coalition of citizens from local organizations dedicated to a clean and publicly owned energy future for Ann Arbor.
APPA offers a variety of resources on municipalization on its website.
