KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Michigan’s Primary Election will take place on Tuesday, August 4th. This determines who will be the candidates for each party in the November 3rd election.
Below is a guide for what voters can expect to see on their ballots in Kalamazoo; however, some Kalamazoo County residents may have more or less candidates based on their area precinct and where they live.
— Congressional, United States Senator —
- U.S. Senator Gary Peters (Democrat). He has served in this capacity since being elected in 2015. More information is available at Peters’ official website.
- John James (Republican), is a politician, businessman, and veteran who previously ran for the position in 2016. More information available at James’ official website.
Peters has said that he “looks forward” to debates between himself and James. He currently holds the seat that James is challenging him for.
— Representative in Congress, 6th District —
- Jon Hoadley (Democrat) currently holds the 60th District State Representative seat. He serves as minority vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee and is also a member of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, the National LGBTQ Task Force, and the American State Legislators for Gun Violence Prevention. More information can be found at his official website.
- Jen Richardson (Democrat) is the other Democratic candidate on the ballot challenging Hoadley. She is currently the research director and a science teacher at the Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center. More information can be found at her official website.
- Elena Oelke, formerly Olena Alexander Oelke (Republican), is a self-employed real estate agent will be challenging current Republican seat holder Fred Upton. More information can be found at her official Facebook campaign page.
- Fred Upton (Republican) is the current holder of the 6th District Republican seat and has been serving since 1987. More information about Upton can be found at his official website.
— Representative in State Legislature 60th District —
- Kalamazoo County Commissioner Stephanie Moore (Democrat) currently represents District 1 in Kalamazoo County. She also served on the Kalamazoo City Commission from 2007 to 2014. More information can be found at her official Facebook page.
- Kalamazoo County Commissioner Julie M. Rogers (Democrat) is the current representative for District 5 in Kalamazoo County. Rogers previously served as the Board Chair for Kalamazoo County, recently stepping down. More information about Rogers can be found at her official website.
- Gary Mitchell (Republican) is the only Republican candidate on the ballot. He has worked as a realtor in the Kalamazoo area for the last four years. More information on Mitchell can be found at his official campaign website.
All three of these candidates are campaigning for the seat currently held by Jon Hoadley, who is challenging Fred Upton.
— Kalamazoo County Prosecuting Attorney —
- Jeffrey S. Getting (Democrat) is running to maintain his position of Prosecuting Attorney. He has served in this capacity since 2012.
No other challengers are on the ballot for this position besides Getting.
— Kalamazoo County Sheriff —
- Richard C. Fuller (Democrat) is campaigning for his reelection as the Kalamazoo County Sheriff. If reelected, he will be serving his fourth term in the county. More information can be found at his official website.
- Shannon D. Bagley (Republican) is one of two challengers campaigning for the position of Sheriff in Kalamazoo County. Bagley had previously worked with the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety for over 25 years. An interview with Bagley and WKZO can be heard here, and more information can be found at his official website.
- Thomas Swafford (Republican) is the other candidate for the Sheriff’s position. He has 18 years of law enforcement experience, 10 of which he spent as a full-time Sheriff’s Deputy. He also previously ran against Sheriff Fuller in 2016. More information about Swafford can be found at his official website.
— Clerk and Register of Deeds —
The current Kalamazoo County Clerk, Tim Snow, will not be seeking reelection for his position, and will instead be retiring when his term is up. He was originally appointed in 1997.
His position is challenged by the following candidates:
- Doreen Gardner (Democrat) is a communication coordinator and has 25 years of management experience at AT&T.
- Sarah O. Joshi (Democrat), currently serves as the Deputy County Clerk & Elections Specialist. She is endorsed by Tim Snow.
- Meredith Place (Democrat), who currently represents the eastern and northern portions of Portage (District 11) on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners.
— Drain Commissioner —
Only one candidate will be on the ballot for Kalamazoo County Drain Commissioner, which is being vacated by current position holder Pat Crowley.
- Joanna Croes (Republican), who has experience as an engineer that she believes would apply well to serving the Kalamazoo Community.
— Surveyor —
Only one candidate is on the ballot for Kalamazoo County Surveyor, which is Gary D. Hahn (Republican). Hahn is already serving this position and has done so since 2008.
— Delegate to County Convention —
Only one candidate is on the ballot for the Delegate to County Convention, Alfred v. Heilman on the Republican ticket.
— 911 Millage Proposal —
Voters will also be asked to vote on a new 911 millage request. That request can be read in full below:
“For the purpose of funding a central public safety communication system and 9-1-1 service system, shall the constitutional limitation upon the total amount of taxes which may be assessed in one (1) year upon all property within the County of Kalamazoo, Michigan, be increased in an amount up to but not to exceed 0.65 mills ($0.65 on each $1,000 of taxable value) for a period of ten (10) years (2020-2029 inclusive), to be distributed to the Kalamazoo County Consolidated Dispatch Authority for countywide 9-1-1 facilities, functions and services as provided in the Kalamazoo County Emergency 9-1-1 Service System Plan? If approved and levied in full, this millage would raise an estimated $6,111,513 in the first calendar year of its levy based on taxable value.“
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— How To Vote —
First, voters should double check to make sure that they are registered to vote here.
Those looking to register can go to their clerk’s office and show proof of residency by showing a physical or digital copy of any of the following documents:
- Michigan driver’s license or State ID card
- Current utility bill
- Bank statement
- Paycheck or government check
- Other government document
To be eligible to vote you must be:
- A Michigan resident (at the time you register) and a resident of your city or township for at least 30 days (when you vote)
- A United States citizen
- At least 18 years of age (when you vote)
- Not currently serving a sentence in jail or prison
Those already registered should have received an application to vote absentee in one or both elections remaining this year. Anyone with absentee questions should call the Kalamazoo City Clerk’s office for assistance. This can be done by calling 3-1-1 or (269) 337-8000 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Absent voter ballots must be received by the clerk no later than the close of the polls (8:00 p.m.) on Election Day. There are instructions included with the ballot regarding who is eligible to return a ballot on behalf of a voter.
Those who wish to vote in person may still do so on the day of the election. Where to go will depend on what precinct an individual voter resides in. To find out which voter precinct you live in, see this map provided by Kalamazoo County.
Voters in Precincts 1 and 3 should be aware that the polling location has moved after a decision made earlier this month, when City Staff voted to move the polling location to the Faith Temple Church of God. The church is located at 402 South Westnedge Avenue.
More information on the voting process can be found in our article here.
Michiganders can visit the Michigan Voter Information Center at www.Michigan.gov/vote for more information about registering to vote and voting, voting equipment, polling place locations, state and local ballots, the candidates, campaign finance and more.
