What’s on the ballot in the City of Kalamazoo?

KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Voters in the City of Kalamazoo will be asked to consider a number of measures and positions when they return to the polls on November 3, in addition to deciding the next President of the United States.

Readers should note that some Kalamazoo County residents may have more or less candidates based on their area precinct and where they live.

Below is a guide for what voters who live in the city can expect to see on their ballots.

— 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.

— 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.
• 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.
• Jeff DePoy is running as a representative from the Libertarian Party. More information can be found at his official Facebook page.
• John Lawrence is running as a representative of the Green Party. More information can be found at his Green Party profile page.

Late last month, WKZO hosted a live debate between Hoadley and Upton. See below for links:

• Recap article
• Video
• Podcast – Part 1 and Part 2

— Representative in State Legislature 60th District —

• 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 in July. More information about Rogers can be found at her official website.
• Gary Mitchell (Republican) is the only Republican candidate on the ballot for this position. 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.

Additionally, Kalamazoo County Commissioner Stephanie Moore (Democrat), who currently represents District 1 in Kalamazoo County, is running as a write-in candidate for the 60th District Representative. She also served on the Kalamazoo City Commission from 2007 to 2014. More information can be found at her official Facebook page.

— 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. A recent interview with Bagley and WKZO can be heard here, and more information 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:

• Meredith Place (Democrat), who currently represents the eastern and northern portions of Portage (District 11) on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners.
• Mona Lisa Watson (Republican), has previously served as the senior strategy leader over Diversity and Inclusion with Bronson Healthcare, along with work through the Douglass Community Association, according to her website. More information can be found here.

— Surveyor —

— Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS) Board Member —

Voters can select up to three candidates for the KPS Board. The candidates are listed as follows:

— Kalamazoo County Proposal: Housing Millage  —

• Proposal 20-2: A proposed constitutional amendment to require a search warrant in order to access a person’s electronic data or electronic communications.This proposal would:
  • Prohibit unreasonable searches or seizures of a person’s electronic data and electronic communications.
  • Require a search warrant to access a person’s electronic data or electronic communications, under the same conditions currently required for the government to obtain a search warrant to search a person’s house or seize a person’s things.

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— How To Vote —

To start with, voters should double check to make sure that they are registered to vote here.

At this point in the election, both local and state elected officials are urging citizens to return an absentee ballot to their local drop box or Clerk’s office as soon as possible.

The reason for doing so is because there is a risk that a mailed ballot will not be received in time to be counted. Under Michigan law, all ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.

In addition to the drop box located behind City Hall, there are four other drop box locations that can be utilized:

• Douglass Community Association, 1000 W. Paterson Street
• Eastside Neighborhood Association, 1301 E. Main Street
• City of Kalamazoo Stockbridge Offices, 415 E. Stockbridge Avenue
• Kalamazoo Public Safety Station 7, 2331 Parkview Avenue

In Kalamazoo, City Clerk Scott Borling is reminding citizens of important local deadlines.

• In-person voter registration must be complete by Election Day at 8 p.m.
• Requests for absentee ballots by mail must filed by Friday, October 30 at 5 p.m.
• Requests for receiving an absentee ballot in person must be received by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, November 2, and returned by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Voters who have yet to register may do so by going to the Clerk’s Office and requesting a registration form. They can then fill out and return an absentee ballot in the same trip.

Voter registration and absentee voting services are available both at City Hall and the Bernhard Center at the campus of Western Michigan University (WMU).

The Clerk’s Office will also be open for eight hours on the weekend prior to the election as required by the Michigan Constitution (Saturday, October 31 from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.), according to city documents.

Voters may still cast their ballots on Election Day at their respective polling places, if they choose. A map of precincts in Kalamazoo can be found at the city website.

“At this point, the only way you can register to vote is in person at your local Clerk’s office, so that’s wherever you reside,” Borling said. “If you reside in the City of Kalamazoo, that would be with us. If you reside in one of the townships, that would be with your township clerk. That’s where you need to go.”

Proof of residency will be required when showing up to register, and a photo I.D. will be requested, Borling says. However, those without an I.D. will have some options.

“You’ll be asked to show photo I.D., but if you don’t have one, you can still register to vote, you can sign an affidavit,” Borling said.

All information about in-person voting locations, registration status, and sample ballots can be viewed at the State of Michigan voting page.