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A LOGISTICAL GUIDE TO ANN ARBOR’S UPCOMING CITY COUNCIL ELECTION!
A LOGISTICAL GUIDE TO ANN ARBOR’S UPCOMING CITY COUNCIL ELECTION!
First – register to vote!
You can check to see if you are registered, and preview your ballot for upcoming elections if you are registered, at this link: https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/
You can check to see if you are registered, and preview your ballot for upcoming elections if you are registered, at this link: https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/
If you're *not* registered, you’re allowed to register in person at the city clerk’s office until 8 pm on the day of the election. You’ll need to bring proof of residence, e.g. a drivers’ license or a utility bill. This link has more info: https://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,4670,7-127-1633_8716_8726_47669---,00.html
Our city clerk is Jacqueline Beaudry, her office is at 301 E. Huron Street, and her hours are 9-5 pm, Monday-Friday. The office is closed from 12-1 pm every day for lunch. They resumed in-person work as of June 8.
All registered voters were sent applications to vote by mail earlier this month! If you didn't get one or registered to vote after they were sent out, you can print the form at this link: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/sos/AVApp_535884_7.pdf
Fill it out and return it to the city clerk by mail or in person.
Fill it out and return it to the city clerk by mail or in person.
NEXT: Ann Arbor has partisan elections, meaning the party affiliations of each candidate are listed on the ballot, and candidates from the same party run against each other in the primary.
*Every single candidate* for Ann Arbor City Council is running as a Democrat, which means…
CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS ARE EFFECTIVELY ON AUGUST 4 (statewide primary), NOT NOVEMBER 3 (statewide general)
CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS ARE EFFECTIVELY ON AUGUST 4 (statewide primary), NOT NOVEMBER 3 (statewide general)
Ann Arbor has 5 wards. Each ward has two city council members, who serve staggered, 4-year terms. One of these city council members is up for election every two years. You can find what ward you live in by looking up your voter registration status here: https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/
You can also refer to this extremely grainy and hard-to-use map, in which none of the streets are labeled, thus making it very difficult to find your house:
Here are the candidates running in each ward, and links to debates among the candidates the Ford School hosted in April. The Ann Arbor Democratic Party also hosted debates this week, which you can find on its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AnnArborDemocraticParty/
WARD 1:
Anne Bannister (D, incumbent)
Lisa Disch (D)
Anne Bannister (D, incumbent)
Lisa Disch (D)
WARD 2:
Jane Lumm (D, incumbent)
Linh Song (D)
Jane Lumm (D, incumbent)
Linh Song (D)
WARD 3:
Tony Brown (D)
Travis Radina (D)
Evan Redmond (D)
Tony Brown (D)
Travis Radina (D)
Evan Redmond (D)
WARD 4:
Jack Eaton (D, incumbent)
Jen Eyer (D)
Mozhgan Savabieasfahani (D)
Jack Eaton (D, incumbent)
Jen Eyer (D)
Mozhgan Savabieasfahani (D)
WARD 5:
Erica Briggs (D)
Dan Michniewicz (D)
David Silkworth (D)
Erica Briggs (D)
Dan Michniewicz (D)
David Silkworth (D)
Local politics are strange. Everyone in this race is running under the same party banner, so party affiliation tells you nothing about what these candidates believe and what policies they’ll support if elected. It’s important to do your research before committing your vote!
And speaking of research – I’m hoping to put together an overview/scorecard of candidates’ views on policing and public safety in the next two weeks. If you have resources I should be referring to as I develop this scorecard, please send them my way!
Voting will not and cannot fix everything. But it helps. Hope to see you at the polls on August 4th. (fin)
