Election Season Again
Posted by Amy Clickner on May 11, 2012
My oldest daughter just turned 18. So I started thinking… she can buy lottery tickets and gamble at a casino, work longer hours, buy tobacco products, get a tattoo or piercing (without permission from me), join the Armed Forces or enter into legal contracts, and most powerful of all, she is able to vote! That led me to think about the importance of exercising your right to vote and what your responsibility is to be an informed voter.
But first, in order to vote, she must be a registered voter. July 9 is the last day to register for the State of Michigan Primary Election, which will be held on Aug. 7, 2012. The Primary Election narrows the field of candidates before the general election. Michigan has what is referred to as an “open primary,” which means voters of any affiliation may vote for the candidate of whatever party they choose. However, citizens are only allowed to choose one party’s primary to vote in, not both.
While the Lake Superior Community Partnership does not align itself with any specific political party, nor do we endorse any candidates for election, we are keeping an interested eye on the democratic primary race for the 109th House District seat between two LSCP partners – Tony Retaskie and John Kivela. We wish both of them luck!
Tuesday, Nov. 6 is when the citizens of the United States will decide whether to re-elect President Barack Obama, or choose a new direction with republican candidate Mitt Romney. The general election in November will also include elections for local and state officials in the Senate and House of Representatives.
Now we are staring at a little more than six months of hard campaigning with stump speeches, yard signs, radio ads and television commercials. By the time the general election arrives on Nov. 6, there will have been plenty of opportunities to get familiar with each candidate and every ballot issue.
At this poignant juncture in our political history, it is important to be involved and exercise your right as a voter and citizen. As I’ve said before – research the issues, read the proposed legislation, visit your local and state government web sites for information (michigan.gov, congress.gov, etc.), find out how the incumbents have voted on key issues, ask all candidates how they stand on issues important to you, and most importantly – VOTE!
For more information on the primary and general elections, and how to register, visit the Michigan Voter Information Center at Michigan.gov/vote. For information on the Lake Superior Community Partnership’s government relations, as well as how to contact your local representatives, visit www.marquette.org and click on Government Relations under the Business Resources menu.
