By Pat Maurer
Correspondent
If you are planning to cast your primary ballot the old-fashioned way, Tuesday is the day to do it at your township or city headquarters.
If not, you can still take advantage of early voting, or casting an absentee ballot.
A MLive post says there are several ways Michiganders can cast their ballots. It’s too late to request an absentee ballot, but there’s still time, to cast an absentee ballot online, but the deadline is today at 5 pm. It’s also too late to request one, but if a voter has already obtained and filled out an absentee ballot and mailed it in, they can check the status of their ballot online.
It’s recommended that absentee ballots be turned in at the local clerk’s office in person (if within two weeks of election day) if you haven’t done so yet.
There is also still time to vote early in person until Sunday February 25th.
Nothing much will change for Democrats with respect to the primary. “That’s to be expected,” MLive posted, “considering Michigan’s Democratic legislature was the one to push for the new primary date in 2023.”
Democratic candidates on the ballot are President Joe Biden and U.S. Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota. Marianne Williamson withdrew her candidacy.
The Republican Primary, however, is more complicated than before.
Some of the names still on the ballot were withdrawn after the deadline to print the ballots, leaving just two official candidates for that primary: former President Donald Trump and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley.
Candidates that have withdrawn include Businessman and Pastor Ryan L. Binkley; Chris Christie; Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; Asa Hutchinson and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Third Party or Independent presidential candidates include Independent Robert F. Kenedy Jr., Independent Cornel West, Libertarian Chase Oliver and Green Party Jill Stein.
According to the post on MLive, “A candidate needs to secure at least 1,215 delegates nationally to secure the Republican Party’s nomination.” In Michigan, 55 of those delegates are up for grabs.
In Clare County, early voting began last Friday, February 17, and is being held at the Clare County Building at 225 West Main Street in Harrison every day (including this weekend) through February 25th, prior to election day(except President’s Day Monday) from 8 am to 4 pm, although other offices in the County building will be closed as usual on the weekend.
The Clare County Transit Corporation will provide free rides to the county building for early voting and on election day to various polling places, but those needing transportation must call in advance to schedule a ride (989-539-1473).
Early voting in Isabella County is also available today, Saturday and Sunday from 8 am to 4 pm. Isabella County Townships will all have early voting at 2320 South Mission Street from 8 am to 4 pm ending on Sunday.
Early voting for the City of Mt. Pleasant and Union Township will be at Powers Hall on the Central Michigan Campus (1201 South Washington Street, Mt. Pleasant). Hours for voting will be from 8 am to 4 pm. More information is available by calling City Clerk Heather Bouck at 989-779-5361 or the Union Township Clerk at 989-772-4600.
In Clare County, primary candidates will be on every ballot and a millage renewal proposal will be on properties that are in the Gladwin School District.
If you live in Arthur or Hamilton Township in the Gladwin School District, a proposal to renew the 18-mill non homestead school millage for an additional 11 years will be on both the Democratic and Republican Primary ballots.
On Isabella County ballots a 2.5 mill proposal to continue county operational costs including for the Sheriff’s Office, will be on every primary ballot. The millage is the first increase in the County’s operation millage since 1978. If approved, the millage would raise approximately $6.1 million the first year of the six-year request, funds that would address budget woes including, covering the unmandated Sheriff’s road patrol, and, according to a Morning Sun article, “Rising costs of the under-construction jail and sheriff’s office because of COVID-19, an increase in wages and benefits because the county was bleeding employees, and the discovery of asbestos in the administration building that is expected to cost as much as $2 million [to remove].”
The additional millage would cost homeowners $2.50 per $1,000 of taxable property value.