ANTRIM DEMS IT’S TIME TO:
--Use your voice and use your vote!
--Make your plan early and VOTE EARLY!
--Reach out to friends and neighbors, encourage them to vote early
IF YOU VOTE BY MAIL:
The Antrim County Clerk's office reports that they missed the State-mandated September 24 deadline for making absentee ballots available to voters. There was an apparent delay in printing. We are told that the absentee ballots will be mailed out soon. If you don't have yours by October 6, contact your Township Clerk. Be kind. It is not your township clerk's fault. .
IF YOU VOTE IN PERSON
Question: Voting in person….where do I go?
Answer: Usually to your township building. Voting machines and Election workers will be there.
Early voting begins: October 24 - November 1
No voting on November 2
ELECTION DAY: TUESDAY NOVEMBER 3
IF UNCERTAIN OF WHERE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO GO TO VOTE:
CALL YOUR TOWNSHIP CLERK!
DEM Volunteers are getting the job done!
VISIT THE ANTRIM DEMS OFFICE IN ELK RAPIDS: OPEN FRI-SUN
We have a SIDEWALK ANTRIM DEMS OFFICE In front of 209 RIVER STREET. Chairs, a table, lots information and two volunteers . Staffed Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays between 10 am and 4 pm.
THANK YOU DEMS VOLUNTEERS!!!!
Questions? Contact Ellen Baird at embaird56@gmail.com
A Note About Antrim Dems Precinct Delegates:
Delegates will be reaching out to their neighbors. Sending postcards, making calls, and knocking on doors.
In their training delegates are encouraged to ‘Talk to Ten.’
Reach out to 10 neighbors. Ask them:
“WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES TO YOU RIGHT NOW?”
They’ll tell you!
WHAT DO YOU ANSWER?
Antrim Dem Precinct Delegate Kevin Garlock says:
“I think you follow the lead of James Talerico. Nationally, he is a Democratic Nominee who is having success reaching Independents and Undecideds.
His answers make good sense to the undecided.”
GO TO TALERICO TALKING POINTS AND STUDY UP. HE’S THE ONE HAVING THE MOST SUCCESS ANSWERING TEXAN’S QUESTIONS.
VOTE —LIKE YOUR WAY OF LIFE DEPENDS ON IT…..
……BECAUSE IT DOES.
Overheard in Antrim County:
Elk Rapids: How did it get this way? I never thought our country would look like this.
Mancelona: I never thought it would be this bad. How can they be doing this?
Bellaire: The tarriffs and gas prices are killilng me.
Ellsworth: The corruption!. The corruption is terrible. \
Central Lake: My medical insurance company just stopped paying for mey drugs. I can’t beleive it! How can they do this? It’s the only drug that works for me with my diagnosis..
Rapid City: Things just seem to go from bad to worse.
Alden: In America, it feels like the wheels are coming off the bus.
WHO ARE THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES?
Jocelyn Benson- Governor
Winnie Brinks – Lt. Gov.
Garlin Gilchrist II – Secretary Of State
Eli Savit – Attorney General
Abdul El-Sayed – U.S. Senate
Callie Barr – U.S. House
Kate Gallup – Kate Gallup
MI House 104th – Mitch Distin
MI House 105th – Rachel Longendyke Teeter
MI Board of Ed – Tiffany Tilley and Judith Pritchett
U of M Regent – Paul Brown and Amir Makled
MSU Trustee – Kelly Zemke and Biranna Scott
Wayne State Governor – Richard Mack and Shereef Akeel
Prosecuting Attorney – (No Dem running)
Justice, MI Supreme Ct – Noah Hood and Megan Cavanagh
Justice, Ct of Appeals – (3 incumbents for 3 positions)
13th Circuit Ct – (1 incumbent for 1 position)
Important Note
There are a few positions without a candidate for school boards or village trustee. We would love to see you run as a write-in for one of these positions. You must complete a candidate affidavit and have it notarized by the end of voting on November 3 to be eligible. You can do this at your township clerk’s office or on Election Day at the polls.
Alba
4 Yr. Board Member, Alba Schools – (3 candidates for 3 positions)
2 Yr. Board Member, Alba Schools – (2 candidates for 2 positions)
Alden
Library Board, Alden – (2 candidates for 2 positions)
Bellaire
President, Bellaire Village – (2 candidates for 1 non-partisan position)
• Patrick Boyd
• Delvin Johnson
Trustee, Bellaire Village – (3 candidates for 3 positions)
School Board, Bellaire – (4 candidates for 3 positions)
• Shannon Hooper
• Don Hoyt
• Bradley Keiser
• Nancy Slabosz
School Board Partial Term 2028, Bellaire -- (2 candidate for 1 position)
• Kristina Livingston
• Kyle Shumaker
School Board Partial Term 2030, Bellaire – (1 candidate for 1 position)
Boyne Schools
Board, Boyne City Public – (4 candidates for 3 positions)
• Clyde Payton
• Mary Ann Towne
• Lindsay Verwys
• Joel Schraw
Boyne Falls
Board, Boyne Falls – (no candidates for 2 positions)
LSD Board, Partial Term, Boyne Falls – (no candidates)
Central Lake
President, Central Lake – (1 candidate for 1 position)
Trustee, Central Lake – (3 candidates for 3 positions)
Trustee, Partial Term, Central Lake – (1 candidate for 1 position)
Board, CL Public Schools – (4 candidates for 4 positions)
Charlevoix Schools
Charlevoix-Emmet Schools- (3 candidates for 3 positions)
LSD Board, Charlevoix – (4 candidates for 4 positions)
East Jordan
School Board, East Jordan -- (4 candidates for 3 positions)
• Matthew Wyman
• Gena King
• Britney Smith
• Dawn Burks
Echo
Treasurer, Echo Twp – (No Dem running)
Trustee, Echo Twp – (No Dem running)
Elk Rapids
President, Elk Rapids – (2 candidates for 1 non-partisan position)
• Thomas Stephenson
• Barbara Matthews
Trustee, Elk Rapids – (5 candidates for 3 non-partisan positions)
• Karen Simpson
• Donald Marker
• Terri Sue Kuffner
• Laura Shumate
• Tony Anderson
Ellsworth
President, Ellsworth – (1 candidate for 1 position)
Clerk, Ellsworth – (1 candidate for 1 position)
Treasurer, Ellsworth – (1 candidate for 1 position)
Trustee, Ellsworth – (4 candidates for 3 positions)
• Dustin Prevo
• Donald Ruis
• Lynn Aldrich Spearing
• Chris Wallace
School Board, Ellsworth – (2 candidates for 2 positions)
School Board, Partial Term, Ellsworth Community – (2 candidates for 1 position)
• Emily Busman
• Suzanne Olsen
Gaylord Schools
School Board, Gaylord – (6 candidates for 4 positions)
• Ellen Templeton
• Courtney Willits
• Kari Visser-Robel
• Jordan Kettlewell
• Katie Drzewiecki
• Rachel Davis
Helena Twp.
School Board, Elk Rapids – (3 candidates for 3 positions)
Helena
Clerk, Helena Twp – (No Dem running)
Jordan
Clerk, Jordan Twp – Sherri Huffman
Treas., Jordan Twp – (No Dem running)
Mancelona Village
President, Mancelona Vill. – (1 candidate for 1 position)
Trustee, Mancelona Vill. – (2 candidates for 3 positions)
• Lori Derror
• Jeremy Davis
School Board, Mancelona – (3 candidates for 3 positions)
KNOW YOUR BALLOT PROPOSALS
Proposal 1 – Constitutional Convention
We recommend a “NO” vote. Conservatives want to use this to outlaw abortion in Michigan as well as pursue other Conservative agenda issues.
Proposal 2 – Money out of Politics
We recommend a “YES” vote. This proposal would ban political donations from public utilities and major government contractors.
ALSO -
STAR TOWNSHIP
Additional Township Road Millage Shall Star Township impose an increase of up to 1 mills ($1.00 per $1,000 of taxable value) in the tax limitation imposed under Article IX, Sec. 6 of the Michigan Constitution and levy it for 4 years, 2026 through 2029 inclusive, on all taxable real and personal property in the Township, for the purpose of providing township road improvements (including maintenance and repairs), which 1 mill increase will raise an estimated $62,594 in the first year the millage is levied?
BOYNE FALLS PUBLIC SCHOOLS PROPOSAL BOYNE FALLS PUBLIC SCHOOL OPERATING MILLAGE PROPOSAL
This proposal will allow the school district to continue to levy the statutory rate of not to exceed 18 mills on all property, except principal residence and other property exempted by law. The remaining 4 mills are only available to be levied to restore millage lost as a reduction required by the Michigan Constitution of 1963 and will only be levied to the extent necessary to restore that reduction. Shall the limitation on the amount of taxes which may be assessed against all property, except principal residence and other property exempted by law, in Boyne Falls Public School, Charlevoix and Antrim Counties, Michigan, be increased by 22 mills ($22.00 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) for a period of 12 years, 2026 to 2037, inclusive, to provide funds for operating purposes; the estimate of the revenue the school district will collect if the millage is approved and 18 mills are levied in 2026 is approximately $3,552,662?
CENTRAL LAKE PUBLIC SCHOOLS PROPOSAL
Central Lake Public Schools Sinking Fund Millage Proposal Shall the limitation on the amount of taxes which may be assessed against all property in Central Lake Public Schools, Antrim County, Michigan, be increased by and the board of education be authorized to levy not to exceed .4766 mill ($.4766 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) for a period of 4 years, 2027 to 2030, inclusive, to create a sinking fund for the purchase of real estate for sites for, and the construction or repair of, school buildings; for school security improvements; for the acquisition or upgrading of technology; for the acquisition of student transportation vehicles; for the acquisition of parts, supplies, and equipment used for the maintenance of student transportation vehicles; for the acquisition of eligible trucks and vans used to carry parts, equipment, and personnel for or in the maintenance of school buildings; for the acquisition of parts, supplies, and equipment used to maintain such trucks and vans; and all other purposes authorized by law; the estimate of the revenue the school district will collect if the millage is approved and levied in 2027 is approximately $203,421?
CHARLEVOIX PUBLIC SCHOOLS PROPOSAL CHARLEVOIX PUBLIC SCHOOLS OPERATING MILLAGE PROPOSAL
This proposal will allow the school district to levy the statutory rate of not to exceed 18 mills on all property, except principal residence and other property exempted by law, required for the school district to receive its revenue per pupil foundation allowance. Shall the limitation on the amount of taxes which may be assessed against all property, except principal residence and other property exempted by law, in Charlevoix Public Schools, Charlevoix and Antrim Counties, Michigan, be increased by 3 mills ($3.00 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) for a period of 2 years, 2027 and 2028, to provide funds for operating purposes; the estimate of the revenue the school district will collect if the millage is approved and 0.1981 mill is levied in 2027 is approximately $145,463 (this millage is to restore millage lost as a result of the reduction required by the Michigan Constitution of 1963 and will be levied only to the extent necessary to restore that reduction)?
CHEBOYGAN-OTSEGO-PRESQUE ISLE ESD PROPOSAL
Cheboygan-Otsego-Presque Isle Educational Service District Special Education Millage Renewal Proposal This proposal will permit the intermediate school district to continue to levy special education millage previously approved by the electors. Shall currently authorized millage rate limitation of 0.6231 mill ($0.6231 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) on the amount of taxes which may be assessed against all property in Cheboygan-OtsegoPresque Isle Educational Service District, Michigan, to provide funds for the education of students with a disability, be renewed for a period of 6 years, 2027 to 2032, inclusive; the estimate of the revenue the intermediate school district will collect if the millage is approved and levied in 2027 is approximately $2,992,734 from local property taxes authorized herein (this is a renewal of millage that expire with the 2026 tax levy)?
LOOKING FOR MORE CANDIDATE INFORMATION?
TO SEE THE OFFICIAL CANDIDATE LIST
ANALYSIS:
MICHIGAN DEMOCRATS,
WHAT ARE WE UP AGAINST?
—
FROM THE WASHINGTON POST
—
We polled Michigan’s Senate race. There’s good news and bad news for Democrats
By Erin Cox and Scott Clement, Washington Post
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed holds a narrow edge over Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s nationally watched Senate race despite a political environment that heavily favors Democrats, a Washington Post-Schar School poll finds.
El-Sayed’s three percentage-point lead over Rogers — 48 percent to 45 percent among likely voters — puts the contest within the poll’s 3.9-point margin of error. That’s a small gap at a time when economic worries and frustrations with President Donald Trump has voters viewing Republicans unfavorably.
The tight Senate race stands in contrast to another Democrat’s wide lead in the governor’s race and voters’ clear preference for Democrats to control the Senate.
While 53 percent of Michigan’s likely voters say they want the Democrats to control the Senate next year, El-Sayed has support from a smaller share of voters.
But in the more lopsided governor’s race, Democrat Jocelyn Benson holds a 12 percentage-point lead over Republican Rep. John James. Compared with El-Sayed, Benson gets slightly more support from Black voters, independents and voters who say they are unwilling to support a Muslim for president.
The depressed support among those constituencies suggest an electoral opportunity, both for Rogers, a former congressman who narrowly lost the 2024 Senate race, and El-Sayed, a former public health official who has run as a populist. It also illustrates the headwinds each face as the increasingly caustic Senate race enters its final stage.
Inside the Washington Post-Schar School Michigan poll
Republicans see the race to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D) as their best opportunity to flip a swing-state seat held by Democrats. They view El-Sayed, who would be the country’s first Muslim senator and has drawn support from his party’s left flank, as a vulnerable general election candidate. Their ads highlight his liberal policy ideas and attack him in ways that evoke anti-Muslim stereotypes.
Meanwhile, Democrats’ ambition to wrest control of the Senate relies on holding Michigan and other Democratic seats, as well as flipping four seats held by Republicans. El-Sayed has cast Rogers as a yes-man to Trump, whom the poll finds is deeply unpopular in Michigan, and highlighted Rogers’s ties to corporations.
Both Rogers and El-Sayed have lobbed personal retorts at each other, battling on social media over physique, their high school sports careers, their donor networks and relationships to polarizing supporters. Neither man has left a net-favorable impression on Michigan voters, the poll found.
A larger share of Michigan voters view El-Sayed favorably than Rogers, with 44 percent holding a positive view of the Democrat and 39 percent holding a favorable impression of the Republican.
Why El-Sayed’s support is not higher
Attitudes toward Muslim politicians are correlated with lower support for El-Sayed.
More than 4 in 10 likely voters in Michigan say they’re unwilling to support a Muslim candidate for president. El-Sayed’s support among that group is six percentage points lower than Benson’s.
Among likely Black voters, 83 percent say they want Democrats to control the Senate but 67 percent back El-Sayed. Black voters have long been crucial to Democrats’ coalition, and El-Sayed’s primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Michigan), shored up disproportionate support in that community. Former vice president Kamala Harris plans to campaign with El-Sayed next week during an event on Black maternal health.
El-Sayed, who has campaigned on Medicare-for-all and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is one of the furthest left Democratic nominees in a competitive Senate race. He does not identify as a democratic socialist, but he is backed by progressive leaders including several democratic socialists such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York).
Nearly half of likely Michigan voters, 48 percent, say El-Sayed is “too liberal” for them, higher than the 43 percent who view Rogers as “too conservative.”
“It is tempting to attribute El-Sayed’s lackluster polling exclusively to Islamophobia, but his socialist endorsements and policy positions are certainly not helping him either,” said Justin Gest, professor of policy and government at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government.
At the same time, likely Michigan voters support some policy ideas embraced by El-Sayed and other progressives. Forty-seven percent support a national Medicaid-for-all health plan, compared with 37 percent who oppose it. El-Sayed has been a fierce critic of the Israeli government and opposes funding a military he says committed genocide; 54 percent support reducing or ending military support for Israel.
Asked to give a one-word description of each candidate, Michigan voters described El-Sayed with a mix of well-defined attributes but used generic terms to describe Rogers.
While some of the top words to describe El-Sayed included “radical” and “communist” — terms that mirror attack ads — voters also described him as “honest,” “progressive” and “smart.”
*Note - since the publication of this article in THE WASHINGTON POST on September 17, most reputable polls show El-Sayed’s lead has increased. —Antrim Dems
Come Meet Dr. Abdul El-Sayed in Traverse City
POSTCARDS FOR ELECTIONS
Myra Muth has agreed to be the point of contact for postcard distribution. Five hundred cards are now available If you’re interested in this project Myra may be reached at 616-260-0200 to get the cards, mailing list and directions. Party groups will be set up or you can take packets of cards home with you to do.
Some will also be available at the sidewalk office to do there if foot traffic is slow.
Last week 100 cards were sent out by a group who gathered at Sue Myers. Thanks Sue for hosting.
ANTRIM DEMS KEEP SHOWING UP!
October 17
No Kings 4
VOTE EARLY RALLY 11-4
Grand Traverse Civic Center
Is this the most important voting cycle of our lives? Possibly. Click the Michigan Dems logo below for a huge collection of voting resources so you can be sure your vote will be counted!
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL CALENDAR OF REGULAR EVENTS ON OUR WEBSITE
JOIN OR RENEW YOUR 2026 MEMBERSHIP
Download our membership form to mail in or click a link below
Voting in Antrim County Membership
Part Time Resident (non-voting)
UPCOMING EVENT FOR MITCH DISTIN
Take a look at the difference between
Mitch Distin and incumbent John Roth.
The Michigan Board of Canvassers approved language for the petition to recall County Clerk Victoria Bishop.
Ashley Areeda did an amazing job pushing this through to completion. It took 3 appearances in Lansing and 6 versions until the Board’s Republican members agreed to let the petition go forward.
Bishop has 10 days to file an appeal. We are waiting to hear if she will be appealing. If she doesn’t, signature collection may start as soon as October 10.
Recall website: https://www.recallvbishop.org/
To volunteer: https://forms.gle/kmeumq1qt2n9oXSt7
To donate: https://www.recallvbishop.org/donate
Allen Wolf provided a good overview of the reasons why Bishop is not suited for the Clerk’s position during the public comment portion of the Board of Canvassers meeting.
VICTORIA BISHOP RECALL INITIATIVE GATHERING ATTENTION BEYOND OUR COUNTY
Many recent articles can be found from wider news outlets who are following the Victoria Bishop Recall Initiative. The recall effort has garnered attention from Votebeat.org, Interlochen Public Radio and other media outlets.
All of us know the stakes in this election.
Every vote matters. Every vote counts.
End the corruption in Washington.
End the corruption in Antrim County.
Let our votes speak. Let our voices be heard.
The Ad committee keeps the message front and center!
Interested in Free Coffee? Come meet Rachel!
“Never forget this: The forces undermining our democracy, rigging our economy, polluting our planet, and stoking hatred are counting on you to give up. Cynicism is how they win.”
Antrim County Democratic Party/Michigan
Chairperson: Veronica Welter, Chair@antrimdems.com
Website: antrimdems.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AntrimCountyDemocraticParty/
ANTRIM DEMS NEWSLETTER, WRITTEN AND ASSEMBLED BY SALLIE FOLEY, ALLEN WOLF, and JIM BLACK.
QUESTIONS/COMMENTS CAN BE DIRECTED TO SFOLEY@ANTRIMDEMS.COM
For more contact information, including Michigan senators and house representatives, visit our full contact information page by clicking HERE