By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-930086.mp3
KALAMAZOO, MI –
https://wkar.org/newsroom/images/election2010-title.jpg
A Democratic committee met Tuesday night in Kalamazoo to decide who will replace Representative Robert Jones on the November ballot. Kalamazoo mayor Bobby Hopewell was chosen.
AUDIO:
Jones was once the mayor of Kalamazoo. He became a state representative in 2007 and was running for state Senate in the coming election. He died unexpectedly over the weekend.
Ken Silfven with the Michigan Department of State says the Secretary of State is prepared to handle sudden deaths or injuries of candidates.
"You obviously don't know when this type of thing is going to occur," he explains. "There's always going to be human elements I guess to any process, like a death or an injury, that are going to come into play."
Absentee votes already cast for Jones will not be counted, but Silfven says people who already voted in that race can make a handwritten request for a new ballot.
Jones had been battling esophageal cancer since last year. He was 66.
Election 2010 - WKAR
For more election reporting, interviews and analysis from WKAR, visit WKAR.org/election2010