Tagged: special election

Three ballot proposals approved

Michigan voters will decide on six ballot proposals in November. The state Supreme Court rejected challenges to three out of four proposed amendments yesterday. The court approved amendments to guarantee collective bargaining rights, to require two-thirds super-majority votes in the Legislature to increase taxes, and statewide votes for any future international bridges to Canada. The proposal to authorize eight more casinos in the state was not approved.

Bentivolio wins primary in 11th disctrict

Former teacher Kerry Bentivolio won the special primary election in Michigan’s eleventh district. Bentivolio was one of four Republicans vying to complete the remainder of Thaddeus McCotter’s term in Congress. He'll face Democrat David Curson in the special general election to decide who serve the remaining few weeks in McCotter’s term. McCotter resigned in July after it was discovered that petition signatures were forged or copied in at least two of his campaigns.

Medical marijuana debate in Wyoming, Mich.

The Grand Rapids suburb of Wyoming is challenging a judge’s ruling that overturned its ban on medical marijuana. The Wyoming City Manager says city council worries that medical marijuana will increase crime and cause confusion for police. Michigan’s Court of Appeals struck down Wyoming’s medical marijuana ban last month. The court says any prosecution under federal laws would be up to the federal government, not local governments.

Republican Kerry Bentivolio has moved on in the special election to replace Thaddeus McCotter in Michigan’s eleventh district.

Bentivolio was one of four Republicans vying to serve out the remainder of McCotter’s term in Congress.

He topped former State Senator Nancy Cassis and two others in the suburban Detroit district. He faces David Curson, the only Democrat on the ballot, in the special November general election.

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) - Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson wants political parties use a lottery to winnow the number of candidates running to serve the last two months of former U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter's term.

If only one Democrat and one Republican run, an expensive Sept. 5 special primary election could be avoided.

Democrats have only one candidate, Dave Curson of Belleville. But five Republicans have filed to run: Kerry Bentivolio of Milford, Nancy Cassis of Novi and Livonia residents Steve King, Kenneth Crider and Carolyn Kavanagh.

Holding the 11th District special primary election could cost local governments in Oakland and Wayne counties $650,000.

Oakland County's Daily Tribune reported on the County Executive's statement earlier today:

“This is about fiscal responsibility... If there is only one candidate from each party running, there is no need to spend tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on a special primary election.

“It’s ridiculous to spend that amount of taxpayer dollars on a special primary election for just a couple weeks in office.”

McCotter unexpectedly resigned on July 6.

An expensive primary to replace Congressman Thad McCotter will go forward with five Republicans and one Democrat on the ballot. This afternoon, a state elections board certified that the candidates had submitted enough signatures to run for the remainder of McCotter’s term.  And no candidates withdrew by the 4 p.m. deadline.
    
Michigan Elections Director Chris Thomas says local election clerks have to act quickly to get out absentee ballots – especially to people in the military serving overseas. He says clerks can use e-mail to get ballots overseas more quickly.

“We have a system set up in the qualified voter file that enables clerks using our Michigan Voter Information Center to actually create an e-mail ballot in a PDF format that can be sent over. So that cuts down half the transit time," he said.
    
The estimated cost of the special primary is $650,000.
 
The chair of the 11th District Republican Committee says he tried to without success over the weekend to get four of the five GOP candidates to drop out and avoid that cost to taxpayers.

The elections board also cleared the way for people to file their objections to half a dozen questions set to go on the November ballot.

They will decide no later than September 22 whether the questions will definitely appear on the ballot. Thomas says challenges to petition drives typically include checking whether everyone who signed is a register voter.

“Challengers can check the registration status and file any other challenge that they wish and then the board will use that information in their next meeting when they convene to decide whether to certify or not to certify the petition," he said.

The proposed amendments to the state constitution deal with taxes, union rights, a new international bridge in Detroit, casinos, and alternative energy.

Gov. Rick Snyder says local governments in the 11th Congressional District should not expect the state to help cover the costs of a special primary to replace Congressman Thad McCotter.