Editing Governor of Michigan (section)

==Elections and term of office==
From statehood until the election of 1966, governors were elected to two-year terms. Elections are held in November, and the governor assumes office the following January, except in the case of death or resignation. From statehood until 1851, elections were held in odd-numbered years. A new state constitution was drafted in 1850 and took effect in 1851. As part of the process bringing the constitution into effect, there was a single one-year term of governor in 1851. Thereafter elections were held in even years.

The [[Constitution of Michigan|constitution adopted in 1963]] changed the governor's term to four years, starting in 1967. Since then, gubernatorial elections have been offset by two years between the [[United States presidential election|U.S. presidential elections]] (e.g., presidential elections were in [[2008 United States presidential election in Michigan|2008]] and [[2012 United States presidential election in Michigan|2012]], while gubernatorial elections in that time period were in [[2010 Michigan gubernatorial election|2010]] and [[2014 Michigan gubernatorial election|2014]]). Gubernatorial elections are held concurrently with [[Michigan Senate|state Senate]] elections. The winner of the gubernatorial election takes office at noon on January 1 of the year following the election.

Before 1992, governors could serve an unlimited number of terms. In 1992, an amendment to the Michigan constitution imposed a limit of two four-year terms for the office of governor, whether successive or separated. However, only those terms served after the amendment took effect counted toward the two-term limit. Thus, [[John Engler]], the governor at the time, served three terms as his first term occurred before the restriction. Engler was reelected in 1994 and 1998, but was required to leave office for good in 2002.