Spring Means Early Elections in Several Townships. Election Day May 5
NEWSLETTER MAY 1, 2026
KEEPING UP WITH
ANTRIM COUNTY ELECTIONS
PRECINCT DELEGATES
Thanks to the 10 Antrim Dems who stepped up to be precinct delegates!
Precinct delegates are allotted based on prior voting. Antrim Dems are allotted 64 delegates. In comparison, the Antrim Republicans are allotted 101 delegates and 8 delegates have stepped up to run.
We say HOORAY for the 10 and thank you for stepping up!
MAY 5 ELECTION
Did you know that many of the villages and townships have millage proposals before voters on May 5? Click to check out what is on the May 5 ballot here:
HERE ARE THE TOWNSHIPS WITH MAY 5 ELECTIONS
HERE IS A LIST OF BALLOT PROPOSALS BY TOWNSHIP
Find the ballot for your township and “Know before you go” to the polls to vote!
MIDTERM ELECTIONS ARE COMING
Voters in Antrim County will go to the polls for primaries on August 4, 2026, and Midterms on November 3, 2026.
Here is the Secretary of State’s list of all state and judicial races:
Let’s Unseat Jack Bergman!
In March and April: Great Opportunities to Meet Candidates Running for the 1st Congressional District/US Congress.
There are several people running to defeat Bergman. Get to know them and their viewpoints.
Primary elections will be held Tuesday, August 4th.
The candidates visited Antrim County in the last few weeks and Antrim County residents showed up to hear them! Both events were well attended.
On March 23, “Good Trouble-ers” held a meet and greet for Callie Barr in Elk Rapids.
Callie addressed a packed Elk Rapids Town Hall introducing herself and describing her goals. Here is her youtube video:
Then…
On April 2, Antrim Action sponsored a nonpartisan congressional candidate forum in Bellaire. Traverse City had the same forum and taped it. Participants are: KYLE BLOOMQUIST (D), ZEBULON FEATHERLEY ((), JUSTIN MICHAL (R ) , AND WAYNE STILES (D). You can listen to the forum here. The video/audio has a long ‘entry’ and you may need to fast forward:
PRECINCT DELEGATES NEEDED
Becoming a candidate is a big commitment. But becoming a Precinct Delegate is a very small commitment. It means you are willing to commit a total of 10 hours between now and Election Day to helping get Dems elected. It might be sending text messages, making phone calls, writing postcards or knocking doors. You decide what you are going to do and when to do it. Do it with a friend or family member or perhaps your dog. Just do it.
Call Myrna Holland to find out more. 231-631-0125.
Here is the form that needs to be completed, notarized and filed with the County Clerk. Do not sign until the notary can witness your signature. Forms can be notarized at the Clerk’s office:
It is highly recommended that you review your Affidavit with Myrna for completeness.
PRECINCT DELEGATES MUST SIGN UP BY MAY 5. THERE IS STILL TIME!
Getting elected is easy. As long as you vote for yourself, you will be elected (since it is unlikely anyone will be running against you.)
Here is a list of current Dems who have signed up so far to be Precinct Delegates:
We are allotted 64 delegates in Antrim County. There are a set number in each precinct.
As a delegate, you will not be voted out. You will not be treated poorly in the community. You do not have to sign your life away. It takes just a bit of time between August and November.
If you count up time at coffees, at Pints & Politics, you will be spending fewer hours making postcards and calls than you do at the Coffees and Pints and Politics. Please consider being a Delegate!
DEMOCRACY is NOT a spectator sport and we should all be doing something
As David Orr said, “Hope is a verb with its shirt sleeves rolled up.” Action reduces anxiety.
THIS PARTICULAR ELECTION, THIS TIME ---2026--requires action from us all.
IF YOU EVER WANTED TO GET INVOLVED, NOW IS YOUR CHANCE!
CALENDAR OF REGULAR EVENTS
Antrim Dems are gathering
JOIN US!
PINTS AND POLITICS - A great place to meet others!
It occurs on the 3rd Tuesday of every month, alternating between Shorts Brewery in Bellaire (odd months), and Shorts Pull Barn in Elk Rapids (even months). May is an ‘odd’ month so we will be meeting at Shorts in Bellaire.
COME JOIN IN THE FUN!
WHEN: Tuesday, May 19th
WHERE: Shorts Brewing, Bellaire Pub, 121 N Bridge Street
TIME: 4:30 pm
REMINDER - You can always check the Antrim Dems Facebook page for dates and event information.
ANTRIM DEMS WOMEN’S WEEKLY COFFEE
WHEN: Every Wednesday, 10 am
WHERE: Art and Connection, 965 Green Street, Elk Rapids
ANTRIM DEMS COFFEE FOR ALL IN BELLAIRE
WHEN: Every Tuesday, 10 am
WHERE: M-88 Morning Grind, 614 E Cayuga.
ANTRIM DEMS MEN’S COFFEE
WHEN: Every Thursday, 11 am
WHERE: Art and Connection, 965 Green Street, Elk Rapids.
ANTRIM DEMS MONTHLY MEETING BY ZOOM
WHEN: 3RD Thursday OF EACH MONTH
THIS MONTH: May 21st, 6:30 PM
A Zoom link will be sent out to all paid members.
REMINDER - Membership lasts one year and then you need to re-up.
ANTRIM COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
We would love to have more people attending Antrim County Board of Commissioners meetings.
Meetings are held the 1st Thursday of the month at 10:00 AM and the 3rd Thursday at 6:30 PM. All meetings are held in the Commission Chambers at the County Building in Bellaire.
The next meeting is Thursday May 7th at 10:00 am.
The second May meeting will be Thursday May 21st at 6:30 pm.
Meetings are held in the Board of Commissioners room at the Antrim County Building, 203 E. Cayuga Street, Bellaire.
Meetings are live-streamed on the County’s Facebook page. Open to the public.
Visit the County Commission Website by clicking the button below
The Antrim Dems Ad Team has been hard at work!
Here is the May ad for our local papers ——
JOIN OR RENEW YOUR
2026 MEMBERSHIP
Membership is on a calendar year basis. So, it’s time to renew your membership! Click HERE it’s so easy!
We also need your donation. In 2025, we spent $9,495 on advertising in the 3 papers. Our advertising focused on how Republican policies are hurting Antrim County citizens, on how Jack Bergman is complicit in the shenanigans in Washington, and how Democrats have a path forward that focuses on bread and butter issues for the average person.
In 2026, we will expand our efforts, especially in social media, to unseat flawed local politicians and increase the vote for Democrats at all levels.
Without your help, none of this can happen!
If you have already renewed your membership, you can make an additional donation HERE
If you prefer, you can mail your check to Antrim Conty Dems to:
ACDP
P.O. Box 331
Elk Rapids, MI 49629
Need to join for the first time?
You can join as :
• Voting in Antrim County
• Joining Antrim Dems but don’t vote in this county
• Want to support Antrim Dems but don’t want to join.
VICTORIA BISHOP UPDATE
County Clerk – Victoria Bishop
The Antrim County Board of Commissioners must act immediately to remove Victoria Bishop. CONTACT ALL MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS NOW! (Contact information is below.)
Bishop was ordered to respond to Bureau of Elections allegations that she violated Michigan Election laws by April 23. SHE FAILED TO DO THAT.
Instead she issued a public notice at TAXPAYER EXPENSE which attempts to justify her illegal actions.
To read the original letter from Board of Elections:
She has a warped idea that her election created a mandate to violate State law. It doesn’t.
Bishop is wasting Antrim County taxpayer money and unless we act quickly, that could potentially be hundreds of thousands of dollars. Paying for printing and mailing hundreds of illegal postcards is just a start.
Being that she is Antrim’s elected representative, the County is obligated to represent her in court. Her position based on the public statement she issued is that she can ignore State law because she is following Federal statutes. This would naturally play out in administrative hearings, state filings, state trials and if she gets her way, cases being heard and adjudicated all the way up to the Supreme Court — all at the expense of Antrim County voters being represented by the Antrim County prosecutor who would employ an army of high priced lawyers.
Is that what we want? Hell no. She must go.
Tell Commissioners that she has failed to carry out her oath of office, is acting illegally, and is wasting taxpayer money.
Contact all members of the Antrim County Commission and demand they file a complaint with the Circuit Court to have her removed. Be sure to indicate that you are a resident (ideally, list your address).
You can send an email to all of them at once. Just copy these emails into the ‘TO’ field of your email.
hefferanw1@antrimcountymi.gov, rubinghj@antrimcountymi.gov , vanalstinet@antrimcountymi.gov, helwigj@antrimcountymi.gov, scolar@antrimcountymi.gov,
Cc: bishopv@antrimcountymi.gov, chair@antrimdems.com.
*****
BELOW IS A SAMPLE LETTER YOU CAN DOWNLOAD AND USE:
*****
It has been confirmed that Victoria Bishop, as County Clerk, sent many letters to voters that stated:
“You have been taken off the voter registration list”. The exact number of letters is not confirmed but may be in the hundreds.
If you received one of these letters, you will first need to check with your Township Clerk and determine if you are still on the voter roll. If you are not, then you must take your Victoria Bishop letter with you and go to the Antrim County Clerk’s office and re-register to vote. This should be done as soon as possible.
You must bring the letter you received with you and go to the Antrim County Clerk’s office in the Antrim County Building, The Antrim County Building Department is located at:
205 East Cayuga Street, Bellaire, Michigan 49615.
From the last NO KINGS RALLY in Cincinnati, Historian Timothy Snyder speaks about the very real threats to American Democracy; AND WHY WE MUST HAVE “NO KINGS”
Click the image for the video link
AND FINALLY . . .
KING CHARLES AND QUEEN CAMILLA CAME TO WASHINGTON DC. AT A STATE DINNER ON APRIL 28, CHARLES GAVE THESE REMARKS:
Reported by CNN
United States:
King Charles III gave US President Donald Trump a taste of his own medicine at a White House state dinner on Tuesday when he joked that without the British, Americans would be speaking French.
As the heads of state traded jokes during their dinner toasts, Charles referenced previous comments by Trump aimed at European allies he accuses of freeloading on defense since World War II.
“You recently commented, Mr President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German. Dare I say that, if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French,” Charles quipped.
The king was talking about places with British and French origins in North America, where the rival colonial powers battled for control of the continent before US independence 250 years ago.
At the Davos summit in January, Trump said that without US help in World War II, “you’d be speaking German and a little Japanese.”
But the king’s lighthearted remark reflected the warm tone as he and Trump bonded over the “special relationship” between London and Washington, despite tensions over the war
He made further jokes at Trump’s expense, saying he could not help noticing the “readjustments” to the White House East Wing, which the former real estate tycoon has demolished to build a giant $400 million ballroom.
“I am sorry to say that we British, of course, made our own attempt at real estate redevelopment of the White House in 1814,” he said, when British soldiers torched the building.
Charles also quipped that the dinner was “a very considerable improvement on the Boston Tea Party,” when colonists dumped shiploads of taxed British tea into the sea in 1773.
Trump -- an avid fan of the British royals whose mother hailed from Scotland -- saved most of his humor for domestic targets.
“I want to congratulate Charles on having made a fantastic speech today at Congress,” Trump said. “He got the Democrats to stand -- I’ve never been able to do that.”
The king meanwhile came bearing a gift, part of a British charm offensive aimed at Trump after he lambasted Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his refusal to help against Iran.
Charles presented the president with the bell from the British submarine HMS Trump, which was launched in 1944 during World War II.
“May it stand as a testimony to our nations’ shared history and shining future. And should you ever need to get hold of us, well, just give us a ring,” the king said to applause.
CNN
“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.”
-Robert Reich
Antrim County Democratic Party/Michigan
Chairperson: Veronica Welter, Chair@antrimdems.com
Website: antrimdems.substack.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AntrimCountyDemocraticParty/
Volume #5. ANTRIM DEMS NEWSLETTER, WRITTEN AND ASSEMBLED BY ALLEN WOLF, JIM BLACK, AND SALLIE FOLEY. QUESTIONS/COMMENTS CAN BE DIRECTED TO SFOLEY@ANTRIMDEMS.COM