Little-Known Michigan Bodies Are Governed by Nobody

LANSING — Michigan's conservation districts are supposed to protect the environment. Instead, they're governed by election failures that have left unelected board members holding seats for years.

An MLive investigation found that at least 10 conservation district elections were invalidated between August 2022 and March 2025 due to errors. These problems have led to at least 13 unelected conservation district board members holding seats since 2025.

Errors Range From Petition Forms to Missing Notices

Some of the common errors included improper public notices, incorrect petition forms, failure to certify results on time, and too few candidate signatures.

In Gratiot County, the district didn't publish the required election announcement. Calhoun County failed to list candidate names in its public announcement and canceled an election after improperly combining the registration form and ballot, compromising ballot secrecy. A candidate in Ingham County turned in a petition with fewer than the required five signatures.

Districts in Alcona and Hillsdale didn't hold elections at all because no one filed to run.

MDARD Responds With Manual and Training

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, which certifies and oversees conservation district elections, responded by issuing a best-practices manual and holding training sessions.

MDARD spokeswoman Lynsey Mukomel said the department began more closely tracking the expiration of board seats and elections using spreadsheets. A more sophisticated, web-based tracking system is in development.

But problems continue even after these responses. New emails obtained since MLive's last investigation reveal additional elections were thrown out or canceled since April of last year.

'There's No One Paying Attention'

Conservation district board members and officials say the lack of oversight is a ticking time bomb.

Callie Melton observed elections while she held a seat with the Ottawa County Conservation District between 2020 and 2024. She described the system as loose and lacking in oversight, a combination she called a ticking time bomb.

Antrim County Conservation District Board Chair Adrienne Wolff said there's no one paying attention because nobody cares about the environment. About 17 people voted for three available conservation district seats at Antrim County's 2025 election.

Gratiot County Manager Ladean Anderson said her district's 2025 election had about 25 people at the meeting but only four voted. Calhoun County's last election had seven ballots cast.

Low Turnout Is Common

Results reviewed by MLive show that conservation district elections regularly attract fewer than 50 voters. Ottawa County is an outlier where nearly 1,400 residents cast ballots in February during a rare, contested race for two open seats. It took nearly four hours to count the results.

MDARD representatives told district officials it was very likely the highest recorded conservation district election turnout ever. But when compared to the total electorate, roughly 0.6 percent of eligible voters participated.

Access and Awareness Barriers

Ballots are cast through specifically requested absentee ballots, at conservation district offices, or at each district's special annual meeting. Really, the only people that know about districts are the people that have visited their social media or participated in programs, said Ottawa County Acting Executive Director Ben Jordan.

Law requires candidates to file petitions for candidacy 60 days before an election. The public is notified of the election and candidates through a mandated newspaper announcement to be published at least 45 days prior to election day.

Antrim County's chair, also a part-time bartender, didn't know about conservation districts until her district's former director recommended she run for an uncontested board seat. I don't think I'm alone in being ignorant to the existence of conservation districts, said Wolff. A lot of people, when I've mentioned the conservation district, don't even know what it is. They've never heard of it and have no clue what purpose it serves.

Obscure History

Conservation districts were created by the Soil Conservation Act of 1935 following the devastating Dust Bowl of the 1930s and are overseen by MDARD. Budgets are small, averaging about $500,000 and peaking near $2 million in 2024, based on a previous MLive investigation that reviewed budgets in 69 districts. Most funding comes through project grants and $40,000 per district from the state. They focus on invasive species, preservation, education, farming, sustainability and watershed issues.

Joe Kaplan, who serves on the Delta County board, attended a pizza party and open house at a park pavilion in 2021 and later found out he was actually at an election. When I found out that they had had an election at the meeting I was at, I looked into it and discovered these are elected officials, said Kaplan. I never knew it because it's so obscure.

Unconventional Elections

Conservation district elections bear little resemblance to traditional voting held in private booths with computerized tabulators, trained election staff and strict reporting guidelines. Instead, conservation district elections are held in nature preserves, under park gazebos, in government offices, banquet halls, breweries and at outdoor education centers.

The ballots are plunked into unsealed boxes or tallied on pieces of paper by volunteers. The votes are counted and the results announced in person shortly after polls close at annual meetings, which often draw fewer than a couple dozen citizens.

Tie-Breakers By Lot

If there is a tie, the MDARD operations manual says it must be broken by lot, such as drawing names, flipping a coin or drawing high card.

Voter rolls, registration and proof of residency rules aren't clearly established by the law, and so remain inconsistent from district to district. In Ottawa County, the district manager said absentee voters submit copies of their ID or proof of residency, which MDARD recommends in its handbook of best practices. In Hillsdale County, District Manager Kevin Weidemayer said no ID is required.

Voters don't have to be registered with the state but must be county residents, according to statute. However, the law contains no guidance on how districts must determine residency.

Historical Reasons for Separation

Michigan Association of Conservation Districts President Gerald Miller said there's a historical reason conservation district votes are held separate from other elections. In the past, board members often held other elected offices and couldn't vote in the same elections they ran for.

But with no oversight and errors plaguing the process, that historical quirk has created a system where unelected board members hold power for years.

State Response

During MLive's reporting in 2025, MDARD said it was actively exploring ways to help the districts fulfill their election responsibilities.

A conservation district in Macomb County ceased holding elections and disbanded years ago, although no state officials knew exactly when.

The problems have led to at least 13 unelected conservation district board members holding seats since 2025.