We received the following guest column from Michigan State Senator Thomas Albert. Since then, Sen. Albert has introduced Senate Bill 126 which, if passed, would place this issue on the November 2026 ballot.
When March rolls around, the old adage “in like a lion, out like a lamb” frequently comes to mind. Some may still connect this expression with the weather, but there is a growing contingent of people who associate this lion with “springing ahead” into daylight saving time.
Last year, I introduced a bill to place the question of whether to flip our clocks back and forth every year before Michigan voters. While the bill did not advance, the overwhelming public response to it convinced me this issue should be addressed once and for all. I plan to introduce the proposal again this year, seeking to give voters the chance to decide whether to continue participating in daylight saving time during the November 2026 election.
It’s worth exploring how a policy causing hundreds of millions of Americans to dust off their alarm clocks twice a year came into existence in the first place.
In 1918, daylight saving time was adopted by Congress through the Standard Time Act. It was enacted primarily because Germany had undertaken a similar measure aiming to support its war production efforts. Despite the lack of conclusive evidence, Germany became the first country to change its clocks based on the hypothesis it would save energy by maximizing daylight hours and minimizing the need for artificial lighting.
Other nations, the United States included, followed suit to prevent their enemy from having a potential advantage. Once World War I ended, Americans wanted to get back to standard time. Twice Congress sent President Woodrow Wilson a bill to repeal daylight saving time, and twice he vetoed it. The second time, the repeal became law through a Congressional override and national daylight saving time ended. Clearly, daylight saving time was contentious from the beginning.
For the next 23 years, the federal government stayed out of the time change business, but that ended shortly after the United States entered World War II. In early 1942, Congress passed a law implementing what was referred to as “War Time,” which was a year-round daylight saving time. Learning its lesson from the previous foray into this policy, Congress included language to revert to standard time after the war ended — which is what happened in 1945.
In 1966, the federal Uniform Time Act was signed into law. It established a national daylight saving time with federally mandated dates, but reserved the ability for individual states to opt out and remain on standard time year-round. The only deviation was a brief period of permanent daylight saving time during the energy crisis of 1974, but it was quickly abandoned as people did not like that it was simply too dark for too long in the morning hours.
Federal law does not allow states to remain on daylight saving time year-round, and this limits a state’s options. The choice is between participating in daylight saving time and changing clocks twice a year or not changing clocks and remaining on standard time.
The state of Michigan has put this issue up to a vote of the people twice. In 1968, Michigan voters rejected daylight saving time. In 1972, voters approved it. Both votes were relatively close.
Throughout this 107-year history, hypothetical energy savings has been the justification for the time change. Like all proposals set forth by our world’s innovators who claim to control laws of nature, there is a striking lack of consensus on its efficacy. At best, the evidence is mixed and not worth the sleep disruption and possible health concerns raised by the time change.
With all this in mind, we should ask why we continue year in and year out with this time change. I, for one, see no credible evidence to validate this twice-a-year thorn in the side of everyday Americans.
It’s been 53 years since state voters weighed in, and I propose we again allow Michiganders to render a verdict. Arizona and Hawaii, along with roughly 60% of the nations in the world, have opted to avoid this inconvenience. Michiganders can lead the charge for a return to common sense in clock management.
State Sen. Thomas Albert represents the 18th District, which includes Barry County and portions of Allegan, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, Kent, and Ionia counties.
Way to stand up on an issue that … nobody is demanding. As Rome burns, Albert proposes this. Come on.