(WXYZ) — Two important mayoral elections are set to take place tomorrow in metro Detroit.
Voters in Warren and Westland will hit the polling stations to elect new mayors for their cities, serving folks for the next four years.
But both races are important because the ballot results could upset the power in the Michigan House, which currently belongs to the 56 Democrats over the 54 Republicans.
"I don't feel good about it," said Helen McRoberts, a voter in Warren
McRoberts has lived in Warren for 40 years. She already submitted her absentee ballot to decide who would be the next mayor of that city.
In Westland, Rep. Kevin Coleman and interim Mayor Mike Londeau are on the ballots, while in Warren, it's down to Rep. Lori Stone and George Dimas. Both Democrats, Coleman and Stone, are state representatives in the House.
If they win, the House will drop from a 56-54 slim Democratic majority to 54-54 split between Democrats and Republicans, resulting in a deadlock, a first since 1994.
"Democrats will lose their majority, which to this point has been very effective in pushing through a lot of democratic priorities and legislations," said Dave Dulio, a Political Science professor at Oakland University.
Dulio says last year, Democrats took control of the Senate, House, and the governor's office for the first time in 40 years. Since then, they've passed the 'Right to Work' repeal, gun safety measures, and further protected LGBTQ+ and abortion rights.
"But Speaker Tate will remain as Speaker; Democrats will still be the machinery of the legislation. They just wouldn't have that functioning majority. If one person wins, Democrats still have a majority - still 55-54, but that just makes it harder," said Dulio.
That's why Dulio believes the state house will wrap up early this year, trying to pass as many Democratic favorable bills before the mayoral election results are certified. It's something that's got a Republican Tim Robinson upset.
"I would rather have someone represent us, and do what they are supposed to do and do it in a timely fashion. I mean all we can do is vote for them," said Robinson.
"I'm watching the two mayoral races very closely, and Wednesday morning, when we know the outcome of the races, I anticipate we will start to do work, what's next and what action we need to take, but it all depends on the voters," said Governor Whitmer.
Now, suppose one or even both of the state representatives wins the mayoral elections. In that case, seats will open in the state house, giving Governor Whitmer the power to decide when to hold the special elections for state representatives.
