Voters: Do your homework, be discriminating on bedsheet ballot

Here is my Sunday column...


Voters heading to the polls on Tuesday should know that, once they’ve made their choice for president, their work has just begun.
The bedsheet ballot they face may be the longest in Macomb County history. The volume of candidates and proposals will test each voter’s ability to cast an informed vote.

In addition to votes for president and Congress, the electorate will choose candidates for state House, the Michigan Supreme Court, the “Big Five” county elected officials, the county Board of Commissioners and township boards.
For the first time, Macomb voters will also face a full compliment of contenders for school board and village councils. The gradual shift of those elections to the November ballot is now complete.

It seems clear at this point that those who criticized moving school board elections to November because the races would be swamped by bigger issues and offices were correct.
A man by the name of Euel Kinsey, who was appointed to the Chippewa Valley school board and now faces election, seems to be waging as much of a full-fledged campaign – large campaign signs, glossy campaign literature – as any school board candidate in the county. Most have made no effort to compete with those running for Congress or state House or Sheriff.

Tuesday’s intimidating election lineup will tempt each voter’s inclination to cast an uninformed vote further down the ballot, where they will surely become confronted with candidates who are unknown to them.
If you don’t know about a race, don’t vote for those candidates. Do not simply choose a name that sounds familiar or has a nice ethnic ring to it.
Everyone has an opinion about who our next president should be, but have you thought about who your choice is for the Legislature, or especially for the county board now that our new charter/executive government faces numerous squabbles between the executive and legislative branch?

Are you familiar with Pete Hoekstra? Who? Not who – Hoesktra. He is the Republican candidate running against Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow.

Of course, the Senate race has been overshadowed by six state ballot proposals that each present big issues. Five of the six would alter the Michigan Constitution.
What’s more, we have 11 local ballot issues, led by the Macomb Community College proposition. MCC, one of the premier job training centers in the Midwest, is asking for a $56 million bond proposal to boost their technology and equipment. The cost is a 0.15-mill property tax increase, or less than $10 per year for most homeowners.
If you haven’t noticed, five north Macomb townships are seeking tax hikes or renewals to boost their police protection. Pretty important.

No doubt, that’s a lot of ballot territory to cover for even the most ardent voter.

What you won’t find on Tuesday’s ballot is many of the names you may have hoped to select or state House or county board. Because of the highly partisan redistricting process, the elections for most of those seats were essentially decided in the August primary.
You also won’t find much competition for township boards or village councils. Again, due to partisan demographics, those races were determined in August when 80 percent of county voters stayed home.
The result? Unfortunately, a huge general election ballot with not a lot of hotly contested races.

So, I would say to voters: Do your homework between now and Tuesday. Research the candidates and the issues. Your civic duty starts with knowledge. Among the many websites out there with information on the candidates, projectvotesmart.org and 411Vote.org are especially helpful.
Election officials encourage voters to make a list of candidates and proposals you favor in advance. Take that list, or a sample ballot (available in Sunday’s Macomb Daily) with checkmarks indicating your choices into the voting booth.

Above all, don’t make any phony or ill-informed choices. Admit to yourself what you know – and what you don’t.
I’m not suggesting those who pay little attention to politics should stay home. But, when you’re in that booth, don’t cast an uninformed vote anywhere on your ballot. Better to skip a race than to choose blindly.

If you don’t know, don’t vote.