Michigan Primary Election, August 2nd, 2016

The first week in August is an awful time to hold a primary election. It’s almost as if the political parties didn’t want too many people to vote. Hmmm? That’s enough to make me want to vote.

On August 2nd, 2016, there will be a primary election in Michigan to elect candidates for office who will be on the ballot in November. Because of gerrymandering and other perfectly legal political shenanigans, many, if not most, areas of the State are heavily weighted to assure political domination by one party or the other. This means that the primary election may be your best shot at making sure that state and local candidates that you favor win in November.

This is a column by Brian Dickerson from the Detroit Free Press, July 2, 2016, describing the importance of participating in primary elections:

"For those who mean to exercise the rights our revolutionary predecessors took such trouble to secure, July is no time for a sabbatical.

"That’s especially true in Michigan, where partisan manipulation of political boundaries has made most November election contests for legislative or congressional office hopelessly one-sided. In most instances, voters who wait until fall to start paying attention will forfeit any meaningful opportunity to participate in the selection of their state and local representatives."

Here is a link to the Michigan Secretary of State’s Website with a list of all the candidates running in August. To find out about local issues on the ballot, you should be able to find this on your County Website. Here is information about Washtenaw County. 

In addition, the NPR radio station at Easter Michigan University, WEMU, has ongoing coverage of local candidates and issues:

Soapbox Summer Series

DURING MORNING EDITION AND ALL THINGS CONSIDERED

"WEMU’s popular election feature, 'Soapbox Summer' has returned for the 2016 primary election season. Any candidate whose name will appear on the August 2 primary ballot in Washtenaw County is eligible to participate. No reporter questions, no interruptions or interference. Soapbox summer gives candidates the opportunity to say exactly what they want, how they want. It gives WEMU listeners and area voters the opportunity to hear a candidates' message, unfiltered. Soapbox Summer will begin airing during Morning Edition with David Fair beginning Monday, July 11th and will be rebroadcast on All Things Considered as well as online at wemu.org."

Go forth and vote.