What Happens Next for Aging Policy in Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Washtenaw Counties
The ballots have been counted, the yard signs are coming down, and the campaign ads have finally gone quiet. For many people, Election Day feels like the end of something. For older adults and their families across Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Washtenaw counties, it’s closer to a beginning: the start of the decisions that will shape aging services for the next two to four years.
At AgeWays, we often hear from families who wonder how an election actually turns into changes in the services they use, such as home-delivered meals, in-home care, caregiver support, and transportation. The answer is that most of that work happens after the votes are counted, in a series of steps that rarely make the evening news.
The numbers reported on election night are unofficial. Michigan law sets out a careful process for turning them into final results.
County boards of canvassers begin reviewing results the Thursday after the election (November 5 this year) and must certify them within 14 days, by November 17. Each of our six counties has its own bipartisan board doing this work. The Board of State Canvassers then certifies statewide and federal races no later than November 23. Recounts, if requested in close races, follow certification.
Under Michigan law, certification is a required, nondiscretionary duty for canvassers. It’s a routine administrative step, but it’s the one that makes the results official.
Between the election and the new year, the officials already in office remain in charge. This stretch, often called the “lame duck” session, can be surprisingly busy. Bills that don’t pass before a legislative session ends generally have to be reintroduced and start over, so lawmakers often try to finish pending work.
That’s relevant for aging services this year. The Older Americans Act, the federal law behind senior centers, home-delivered meals, caregiver support, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, and Area Agencies on Aging like AgeWays, has been awaiting reauthorization. The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a reauthorization bill (S. 2120) on July 14, 2026, extending the law’s programs through 2030. As of this writing, the bill still needs action in the U.S. House. If Congress doesn’t complete it before the new Congress begins in January, the process starts over.
Most newly elected officials begin their terms in the first days of 2027, and this year’s ballot was an unusually large one for Michigan.
When many officials are new at once, there’s a learning curve. Programs like the MI Choice waiver or a county’s meal delivery network may be unfamiliar to someone who just arrived in Lansing or at the county building.
New officials don’t start with a blank slate. Several decisions that matter to older adults will come up quickly.
Michigan’s population is aging faster than most states’, so these choices reach more families each year.
Federal and state races get the headlines, but the services a senior in Howell, Monroe, Port Huron, or Ann Arbor relies on this week are often shaped most directly by local government.
County and township millages fund senior centers, transportation vans, in-home chore services, and meal programs throughout our six-county region. Approving a millage is only the first step. County commissioners and township boards then decide how those dollars are divided among programs. Those decisions can look very different in a rural township in St. Clair County than in a growing suburb like Chesterfield Township or Novi.
Those budget conversations happen at public meetings, often in the months right after an election, when new commissioners and board members are settling in.
Elections decide who sits at the table. What happens in the weeks and months afterward decides what they do there: which programs are funded, how local millage dollars are spent, and whether a federal law like the Older Americans Act is renewed. For families relying on home care, meal delivery, or transportation assistance, the period after an election is when policy starts becoming the services that reach someone’s kitchen table in Brighton, Chesterfield Township, Monroe, Port Huron, Novi, or Ypsilanti.
AgeWays is committed to helping families across Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Washtenaw counties navigate aging with confidence. For more on local senior services and resources, explore our other guides or reach out to our team.
