[4] A constitutional amendment adopted at the 2010 general election provides that a person is ineligible for any elected office, including governor and lieutenant governor, if convicted of a felony involving dishonesty, deceit, fraud, or a breach of the public trust, and if the conviction were related to the person's official capacity while holding any elective office or position of employment in local, state, or federal government.

Elections are held in November, and the governor assumes office the following January, except in the case of death or resignation.

As part of the process bringing the constitution into effect, there was a single one-year term of governor in 1851.

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.

Forty-seven people have been governor of the state over forty-nine distinct periods, with two, John S. Barry and Frank Fitzgerald, serving non-consecutive terms.