With two weeks left to Election Day, campaigns for federal and state offices are capturing the attention of media and voters.
But in towns throughout mid-Michigan, voters will make important decisions about their communities and who leads them.
These are five of the most interesting local races included on our full county-by-county voter guide.
1. Five of seven Mason City Council seats up for grabs
Mason City Councilmember Elaine Ferris faces a recall after anti-data center activists collected enough signatures to put her back on the ballot before her term is up.
It comes after Ferris voted for a controversial zoning change that established rules for data centers that some residents said didn’t go far enough.
Separate from the recall, eight candidates are seeking four other seats on the City Council. That includes two incumbents running for re-election.
Another Councilmember who was seen as being open to a possible data center development, John Vercher, was eliminated in the primary.
2. East Lansing considers moving local elections to even-numbered years
Voters in East Lansing will consider whether to move local elections to even-numbered years, extending the terms of current City Council members by a year if so.
Elections held in odd-numbered years tend to have lower turnout, lacking the high profile federal and state races that get people out to the polls.
But some have expressed concern that a higher-turnout electorate would also be less informed, since local candidates would have to compete for attention when voters are already being bombarded by political messaging.
3. Healthcare advisory boards in Lansing and East Lansing
Voters in Lansing and East Lansing will be asked whether the city should establish a Citizens’ Advisory Healthcare Action Board that would be tasked with making non-binding recommendations to address healthcare costs and accessibility.
Efforts for the proposal were led by a nonprofit organizing similar proposals in several Michigan cities who will not have to report their donors, even while attacking Republican candidates for office.
4. Corunna considers charter changes
Voters in Corunna will consider three amendments to the city charter.
The first would eliminate the requirement of four City Council members to be considered a quorum, instead basing the requirement on the total number of City Council members holding office at that time.
The second would eliminate wards, opting instead to elect City Council members at-large with no ward residency requirements.
The third would remove all gender specific terminology from the city charter, replacing it with gender neutral language.
5. Jackson to select a new mayor
Voters in the city of Jackson will elect a new mayor after Mayor Daniel Mahoney opted not to seek re-election.
The non-partisan candidates are both familiar faces: former Mayor Derek Dobies and fourth-time candidate John Wilson.
Interview transcript:
Sophia Saliby: Election Day is two weeks away, and there are some pretty big races taking up much of the focus in the media and on the ground. But in towns and cities across the Capital Region, voters will be making important decisions about their communities and who leads them. We have a full county-by-county voter guide at wkar.org for mid-Michigan, and our lead politics reporter Andrew Roth joins us now to break down some of these ballot questions. Hi, Andrew.
Andrew Roth: Hi, Sophia.
Saliby: So let's start in Mason, the county seat of Ingham County. This community has seen a lot of back and forth about data centers over the past year, and now there's even a recall effort to oust one of the City Council members. Tell us about that.
Roth: Councilmember Elaine Ferris is facing a recall after residents collected enough signatures to put her back on the ballot before her term is up, and this stems from a controversial zoning change that established some rules for data centers around things like noise and light emissions. Some residents felt the ordinance didn't go far enough and would actually serve as sort of a red carpet for data center developers by creating a type of zoning district tailored to them specifically. Ferris voted for that ordinance, and that's why she's facing a challenge from two other candidates now. Ferris has also said the city does need new revenue sources, which this data center could provide.
Separate from the recall, there are also eight candidates seeking four other seats on the city council, which includes two other incumbents who are running for re-election. But one thing to note is that another incumbent council member who was seen as being open to a possible data center, John Vercher, was actually eliminated in the primary,
Saliby: So, there could be a lot of turnover in Mason. I want to turn to East Lansing. The city has undergone a charter review over the past year, and now voters will decide whether to keep elections in odd-numbered years or switch them to even ones. What's the debate here?
Roth: Local elections are currently held in odd-number years, and that often means lower turnout. So, moving them to even-number years could increase turnout, since you have high profile races for state and federal offices that are sort of getting people out to the polls.
But one concern I've heard is that while turnout might increase by doing that, you could also end up with a less informed electorate who don't necessarily know much about these local races. You know, local candidates would have to compete for attention when everyone is already being bombarded with political messaging, which could be a challenge.
Ultimately, even if this passes in November, city council members will still have to take action on their end to actually move the election dates.
Saliby: And this is another thing in East Lansing, but also in Lansing, voters in these communities will weigh in on a question to create what's known as a Citizens' Advisory Healthcare Action Board. Where did that proposal come from, and what would it do?
Roth: This proposal was put forward by a group called Community Action Michigan. The group sought to create these advisory committees in several cities throughout the state, including, as you mentioned, two here in mid-Michigan. So, the committees would make non-binding recommendations about healthcare costs and accessibility.
But we don't know exactly who's involved with that effort or who's funding some of the advertisements you might be seeing for it; I've certainly seen a lot online. Some of them attack Republican candidates for office, like Congressman Tom Barrett. And the reason we don't know who's funding those is because the group is registered as a nonprofit, so they don't have to report their donors in the same way that a traditional political campaign would.
Saliby: In Jackson, voters will elect a new mayor because Daniel Mahoney, the current mayor, is opting not to seek re-election. Who's on the ballot?
Roth: Both candidates are familiar faces in Jackson politics. So, on one side you have Derek Dobies, who has actually been mayor before, and on the other side you have John Wilson, who has run for mayor three times before. This is his fourth campaign. So, we will certainly be watching to see which candidate is successful in making a comeback.
Saliby: Finally, let's shift to Shiawassee County. Corunna has some charter amendments on the ballot. What could change there?
Roth: One change would eliminate the wards for City Council members, so they would instead be elected at-large.
The four-member threshold to have a quorum at City Council meetings would be made a little bit more dynamic, so that requirement would be based on the total number of members at that time, meaning, if there are vacancies, the threshold would be lowered accordingly.
And the last potential change would remove gender-specific terminology from the city charter, so instances where it says like "he shall do this," or "she may do that," would instead say "the mayor must do this," or "they will do that."
Saliby: Okay, a lot going on there, and I know there's a lot more on ballots across mid-Michigan. Andrew Roth is our lead politics reporter. Thank you for joining us.
Roth: Thank you for having me.
Saliby: And you can find our county-by-county voter guide and more of our in-depth election coverage at wkar.org.
