Who and What is on the August 4 Primary Ballot
Too many Americans don’t bother to vote in primary elections, out of a mistaken belief that only the general elections matter. But in districts heavily skewed toward only one party, like so many of ours are, whoever wins the primary will by default be the person who takes office. It pays to pay attention now.
Also, this primary on Tuesday, August 4, includes important questions regarding funding our bus system and Detroit public schools.
If you’re an absentee voter, you should have received your ballot for the August 4 primary by now. If you haven’t yet received it, call the City Clerk’s office at 313-224-3270. You can mail it in or put it in one of the drop boxes designated for absentee ballots.
There’s one at the corner of E. Outer Dr. and Berkshire, in front of Bethany Lutheran Church. You can also find a drop box just inside of the E. Warren entrance to Balduck Park.
If you use the Postal Service to return your ballot, be aware that it must be received by the Clerk’s office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, August 4.
Many more of your election questions, including how to register to vote, will be answered here. You can even register to vote on Election Day, although that will require a trip to the City Clerk’s office at the Coleman A. Young Building at 2 Woodward Avenue (and E. Jefferson).
Because we’re a relatively large community, not all Morningsiders vote at the same polling place. To find yours, go to Michigan Voter Information Center.
Fortunately, Michigan is one of the states that has made it as easy as possible for citizens to vote. If you’re not available on Election Day, take advantage of early in-person voting, which begins on Saturday, July 25 and ends on Sunday, August 2.
Here are all the candidates on the primary ballot. For the Governor’s race, US Senate, and US House of Representatives, you can get access to all those candidates’ campaign websites just by clicking on the name of the office. For the Michigan State Senate, Michigan House of Representatives, and Wayne County Executive, you’ll have to click on the names of the individual candidates for more information. In some cases, the candidate doesn’t have a campaign website, so you’ll have to Google their name for more information.
Campaign websites are the place to begin, not end your research. See what else you can find out about them. They may not turn out to be as wonderful as their website wants you to believe.
Many voters just cast their votes based on name recognition. That’s a risky practice, though. How do you know a candidate doesn’t have a familiar name for all the wrong reasons? It’s best to do some research. Check the candidate’s endorsements. Do those organizations’ or individuals’ values and priorities align with yours? Also consider who a candidate’s top donors are and whose interests they represent. As a last resort, you can always ask one of your friends who stays on top of politics and whose opinion you trust.
Democrats
Jocelyn Benson
Mike Cox
Chris Swanson
Republicans
Mike Cox
John James
Perry Johnson
Aric Nesbitt
Democats
Abdul El-Sayed
Haley Stevens
Republicans
Mike Rogers
The race for US Senate has taken an interesting turn since Mallory McMorrow dropped out on July 5. It’s now an even more competitive race in the national spotlight between the two remaining Democratic Party candidates. Bridge Michigan has a useful summary of where these candidates stand on six major issues. If you have already voted for Mallory McMorrow by absentee ballot, you should call the City Clerk’s office (313-224-3270) to request a new ballot.
US House of Representatives 13 District
Democrats
Donavan McKinney
Shri Thanedar
Republicans
T.P. Nykoriak
Michigan Senate – 3 District
Democrats
Mohammad Alam
John Conyers III
LeJuan Council
LaTanya Garrett
Korey Hall
Kimberly Hill Knott
Adam Hollier
Gary Hunter
Toinu Reeves
Abraham Shaw
Eboni Taylor
Republicans
Mark Ashley Price
Michigan House of Representatives 10 District
Democrats
Veronica Paiz
Andrew Cyburt
Ryan M. Nelson
Republicans
Peter Ochs
Wayne County Executive
Democrats
Warren C. Evans
Sigmunt John Szczepkowski, Jr
Republicans
Michael A. Evans
The primary ballot does not include candidates for Attorney General, Lt. Gov, Secretary of State, State Board of Education, and governing bodies of University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University. That’s because those candidates are chosen by the state conventions of their respective parties, not by primary voters. You’ll see those candidates on the November ballot.
If we don’t use our right to vote, we run the risk of losing it altogether. That’s the clear message we should be getting from the federal government’s efforts over the past year to throw thousands of people off the voter rolls and make it more difficult for millions of legally registered citizens to vote. Many of those in previous generations risked (and sometimes lost) their lives fighting for the right to cast a ballot and have it counted. Let’s vote, if only to show that we honor their sacrifices.
