That’s my third and final problem with local elections. If you have any inkling you could do it, please consider running for office. It might seem impossible to put in the time it takes to attend meetings, study the issues, answer constituent concerns, attend events, and do all the other things a good county commissioner or township trustee or city councilperson does.īut we need people to step up so voters have a choice and our government can truly represent our populace. It’s even harder to hold office, especially if you have a full-time job. It’s difficult to put yourself out there and downright exhausting to go through the rigors of a campaign, knocking on doors, getting your yard signs out, shaking hands, convincing voters they need to support you. I despise when no voters pick a winning candidate. I dislike when a minority of registered voters pick a winning candidate. Those seats will likely be filled by appointment, meaning no one gets to vote for those positions.
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No one’s running for the District 2 seat on the Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners and no one’s running for open trustee positions in Ocqueoc, Krakow, and Bearinger townships. But, in four contests, no candidate filed for the seat. That means that candidate, as long as he or she votes for himself or herself, will automatically win next week and will automatically win in November. In 22 contests, only one candidate filed to run, period. As long as the candidate votes for himself or herself, the candidate will advance directly to November. In uncontested primaries, voters have no choice. Of the 42 positions on the primary ballot, only 11 feature contested primaries, meaning that, in the other contests, no more than one Democrat and one Republican filed to run. We also have to increase candidate turnout.
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So we need to increase primary voter turnout. Especially when those decisions cost me money. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to let a minority of people make decisions that affect all of us.
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That’s not to mention the numerous tax proposals on the ballot on Tuesday that will also be decided by the smaller number of summer voters. Summer voters, not fall voters, will pick who gets to hold the seat. That means that, for the overwhelming majority of the Northeast Michigan elected positions up for grabs on township and county boards, the contest will already be over by the time voters head to the polls in November. Only eight of those positions will be contested in the fall. By my count, 42 positions will appear on ballots across Alpena, Presque Isle, Montmorency, and Alcona counties on Tuesday.