A high-interest general election season reaches its climax Tuesday when Michigan voters who haven't already voted by absentee ballot go to the polls on Election Day.
Here's a look at major races and issues on the ballot, as well as other key information for Nov. 6:
When polls open and close
Polls will be open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Voters can check their registration status, see their sample ballot, and find their polling place at www.Michigan.gov/vote. You must already be registered to vote by now — the deadline for registration was October 8.
►Who's on your ballot? Use our voter guide!
Governor
Michigan governor candidates in November 2018: Gretchen Whitmer, Democratic, left, and Bill Schuette, Republican (Photo: Detroit Free Press)
Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, the former Senate minority leader, and Republican Bill Schuette, Michigan's attorney general, are competing to succeed Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who can't run again because of term limits.
Whitmer and Schuette hold sharply different views on road funding, health care and education, among other issues. Recent polls have shown Whitmer leading Schuette by as much as double digits and as little as five points.
Also running for governor: Libertarian Bill Gelineau, U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate Todd Schleiger, Green Party candidate Jennifer Kurland, and Natural Law Party candidate Keith Butkovich.
Attorney General
Tom Leonard, Republican candidate for Attorney General. Dana Nessel Democratic candidate for Attorney General. (Photo: Dave Wasinger/Lansing Sate Journal, Junfan Han/Detroit Free Press)
Attorney General: Republican Tom Leonard, the House Speaker from DeWitt, and Democrat Dana Nessel, a Plymouth attorney, are running to take over the office now held by Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette, who can't run again because of term limits.
If elected, Leonard said he wants to expand the Attorney General's Office to include units that deal with cases of elder abuse and mental health, including how to divert more mentally ill criminal suspects away from jail. He also wants to expand the public integrity unit that investigates government corruption to include a role of overseeing how departments such as Treasury deal with taxpayers.
If she gets the job, Nessel said she will be a tireless fighter for the underdogs in society and won’t use the office to punish people, such as the tens of thousands of Michigan residents falsely accused of jobless benefits fraud because of a computer snafu. She would also beef up environmental enforcement and establish a hate crimes division to handle cases involving LGBTQ and other minority communities.
Also running to become Michigan's chief law enforcement officer: Libertarian Lisa Lane Gioia, U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate Gerald Van Sickle, and Independent candidate Chris Graveline.
Secretary of State
Secretary of State candidates Democrat Jocelyn Benson and Republican Mary Treder Lang (Photo: John F Martin, Junfu Han, DFP)
Secretary of State: Democrat Jocelyn Benson of Detroit is running against Republican Mary Treder Lang of Grosse Pointe Farms. Each wants to replace Republican Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, who can't seek a third four-year term because of term limits.
A signature Benson campaign pledge is her "30-minute guarantee," under which nobody would wait more than 30 minutes to renew their license or do anything else at a branch office.
Treder wants a system in which residents won't have to visit a branch office more often than every eight years — when they have to get new photos taken for their driver's licenses.
Also on the ballot: Libertarian Gregory Scott Stempfle and U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate Robert Gale.
U.S. Senate
Republican businessman John James and Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow at Grand Valley State University on Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018. (Photo: WGVU)
Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow is facing a stronger than expected challenge from Republican businessman John James as she seeks a fourth term.
Stabenow, of Lansing, defeated her previous two Republican challengers by double digits. A recent Free Press poll shows James, a U.S. Army veteran from Farmington Hills, could be mounting a stronger challenge.
The poll, released Oct. 25, suggests Stabenow's lead over James shrunk from 23 points in September to 7 points in October. Other polls show Stabenow continuing to lead James by double digits.
Also on the ballot: U.S. Senate are George Huffman III of the U.S. Taxpayers Party, Marcia Squier of the Green Party and John Howard Wilhelm of the Natural Law Party.
Three Michigan ballot proposals
Millions of dollars are being spent for and against three Michigan ballot proposals.
Recreational marijuana: Proposal 1 would legalize marijuana for adult recreational use.
Marijuana is already legal in Michigan for medicinal use, as a result of a 2008 ballot proposal that passed with 63 percent support.
The recreational proposal would:
- Allow individuals age 21 and older to purchase, possess and use marijuana and marijuana-infused edibles and grow up to 12 marijuana plants for personal consumption.
- Impose a 10-ounce limit for marijuana kept at residences and require that amounts over 2.5 ounces be secured in locked containers.
- Create a state licensing system for marijuana businesses, including growers, processors, transporters and retailers.
- Allow municipalities to ban or restrict marijuana businesses.
- Permit commercial sales of marijuana and marijuana-infused edibles through state-licensed retailers, subject to a new 10 percent tax earmarked for schools, road and municipalities where marijuana businesses are located.
Independent redistricting commission: Proposal 2 would take the drawing of Michigan's political lines out of the hands of the Michigan Legislature and move the function to an independent, bipartisan commission.
The Voters Not Politicians proposal would create a 13-member citizens' commission, made up of four Republicans four Democrats, and five people who identify with neither party.
Access to voting: Proposal 3 would allow absentee ballots for any reason, restore the option of straight-ticket voting, and allow a citizen to register to vote up to and on Election Day, among other provisions.
The proposal, called Promote the Vote, would bring Michigan in line with at least 17 other states — such as Idaho, Colorado and Wisconsin — when it comes to same-day voter registration. That feature is one of the proposal's most contentious because opponents say it could contribute to voter fraud.
Michigan Supreme Court
Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Kurtis Wilder, left, and Elizabeth Clement, Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. (Photo: Michigan Court of Appeals; Governor's Office)
Justices of the Michigan Supreme Court run on the nonpartisan portion of the ballot, but they are typically nominated by political parties.
Two Republican-nominated incumbents, Justice Elizabeth Clement and Justice Kurtis Wilder, are seeking eight-year terms. They were appointed to the court by Snyder in 2017.
Clement, a former Snyder legal counsel, angered some Republicans when she joined Democratic Supreme Court appointees in ruling that Proposal 2 — which proponents say will end gerrymandering — met constitutional requirements to go on the November ballot.
Wilder previously served on the Michigan Court of Appeals and is a former chief judge of the Washtenaw County Circuit Court.
They are challenged by two Democratic nominees,Sam Bagenstos and Megan Cavanagh.
Bagenstos is a civil rights attorney and U-M law professor who served as principal deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice under President Barack Obama.
Cavanagh has more than 15 years of experience as an appellate attorney. She is a shareholder at Garan Lucow Miller P.C. in Detroit and a member of the Attorney Grievance Commission.
Republican-nominated justices currently hold a 5-2 majority on the court, so a Republican majority will remain, regardless of the election results.
Also on the ballot: Kerry Lee Morgan, nominated by the Libertarian Party, and Doug Dern, nominated by the Natural Law Party.
State Board of Education
Two seats are up for election, with Republican incumbent Richard Zeile of Dearborn seeking re-election to one of them.
Also running as major-party candidates are Republican Tami Carlone of Novi and Democrats Judy Pritchett of Washington Township and Tiffany Tilley of Southfield.
The board currently has an even split between Democrats and Republicans, so the election could change the makeup of the board – and thus impact one of its biggest responsibilities post-election: Hiring a new superintendent to replace the late Brian Whiston, who died in May after a battle with cancer.
Also on the ballot: Libertarians Scotty Boman and John Tatar, U.S. Taxpayers Party candidates Karen Adams and Douglas Levesque, Green Party candidate Sherry Wells, and Working Class Party candidates Mary Anne Hering and Logan Smith.
University boards
U-M Board of Regents:
At U-M, two Republican incumbents face two Democratic challengers.
The incumbents are Andrea Fischer Newman, who retired recently from her position as Delta Air Lines' Airlines' top lobbyist, and Andrew Richner, an attorney and former state legislator.
The challengers are Jordan Acker, an attorney and former Obama White House staffer, and Paul Brown, an adjunct professor in U-M's School of Engineering.
Also running are Libertarians James Lewis Hudler and John Jascob, U.S. Taxpayers candidates Joe Sanger and Crystal Van Sickle, Green Party candidate Kevin Graves, and Natural Law Party candidate Marge Katchmark Sallows.
MSU Board of Trustees
There is a high-interest in two open seats in the wake of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal. Two Republican incumbents — Brian Breslin and Mitch Lyons — are stepping down.
There are four major party candidates running for those seats:
- Republican Dave Dutch is a former Navy special operations officer who has an MBA from MSU and is currently the executive chairman of PayLease, a national financial technology company.
- Republican Mike Miller is an MSU alumnus who founded several companies, including Orchid Orthopedic Solutions, a high-tech medical device company in Holt.
- Democrat Brianna Scott is an MSU alumnus who was a Muskegon County assistant prosecutor and now runs her own law firm.
- Democrat Kelly Tebay is an MSU alumnus who works for the United Way for Southeastern Michigan.
Also running are Libertarians Bruce Campbell and Tim Orzechowski, U.S. Taxpayers candidates Janet Sanger and John Paul Sanger, Green Party candidate Aaron Mariasy, and Natural Law candidate Bridgette Abraham-Guzman.
Wayne State University Board of Governors
Two Republican incumbents face two Democratic challengers.
The incumbents are Diane Dunaskiss, former principal of Pine Tree Elementary School in Lake Orion and David Nicholson, chief executive officer of PVS Chemical's Manufacturing Group.
The challengers are Bryan Barnhill, a member of the Ford Motor Co.'s Corktown Redevelopment Team and former chief talent officer for Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, and Anil Kumar, a urologist in Rochester Hills.
Also running: Libertarians Jon Elgas and John Hargenrader, and U.S. Taxpayers candidates Christine Schwartz and Marc Joseph Sosnowski.
U.S. House of Representatives
Some of the fiercest back-and-forth this election season has been in a handful of races for Michigan’s 14 congressional seats:
Toss-up
Elissa Slotkin is running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop for Michigan's 8th Congressional seat. (Photo: Junfu Han DFP, Congressman Bishop's office)
8th District: No race in Michigan has been as hotly contested as the one in this district, which extends from Lansing east to northern Oakland County, where incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, is trying to hold on against former Defense Department official Elissa Slotkin. Polls have had Bishop’s lead within the margin of error and handicappers consider it too close to call.
Also running: Libertarian: Brian Ellison, US Taxpayers: David Lillis.
Best chance for Democrats to flip a seat
Lena Epstein and Haley Stevens (Photo: handout photos)
11th District: If Democrats are going to flip a Republican-held seat in Michigan’s congressional delegation, the best shot is in the 11th District in southeastern Oakland and western Wayne counties, where U.S. Rep. Dave Trott, R-Birmingham, is stepping down. Handicappers give the edge to Haley Stevens, who worked on former President Obama’s auto task force, over Republican businesswoman Lena Epstein, who co-chaired Trump’s 2016 campaign in the state.
Also running: Libertarian: Leonard Schwartz, independent: Cooper Nye.
New faces
13th District: Since there are no Republican challengers in this Detroit-Wayne County district — and it's predominately Democratic anyway — it’s a near certainty that Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones will win the partial term to replace former U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, and former state Rep. Rashida Tlaib will win the full term. There remain questions, though. Jones has filed to run a long-shot independent write-in bid for the full term, and it still has to be worked out how and whether Jones will be allowed to keep both her city job and serve a short stint in Congress. Tlaib will be the first Palestinian woman to serve in the U.S. House.
Also running: For partial term: U.S. Taxpayers' Mark Sosnowski, Green Party's D. Etta Wilcoxon; for full term: Green Party's D. Etta Wilcoxon, Working Class Party's Sam Johnson.
9th District: Andy Levin, a former labor organizer who held jobs under former Gov. Jennifer Granholm, is expected to have an easy time beating Republican businesswoman Candius Stearns in a predominately Democratic district in Oakland and Macomb counties. Levin is the son of current U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak, who has been in Congress since 1983.
Also running: Green: John McDermott, Working Class: Andrea Kirby.
Longshots
6th, 7th Districts: Democrats have no better than a long-shot chance to upend two incumbent Republicans, U.S. Reps. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, and Tim Walberg, R-Tipton. Democrats have long eyed these congressmen – Upton in the 6th in southwestern Michigan and Walberg in the 7th in south-central Michigan – but Trump did well in each in 2016. Still, if Democrats deliver a big electoral wave on Nov. 6 nationally, there is a possibility newcomer Matt Longjohn in the 6th and former state Rep. Gretchen Driskell in the 7th, could be the beneficiaries.
Also running in the 6th: U.S. Taxpayers: Stephen Young.
A bridge too far
1st District: Some handicappers would put Michigan’s 1st District – which includes the Upper Peninsula and the northern Lower Peninsula – in the long shot category and Democrat Matt Morgan has certainly worked, despite having to run in the primary as a write-in, to make it a race against incumbent U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet. But this is a district that supported Trump by 21 percentage points in 2016 and has been trending more conservative.
2nd District: Meanwhile, in what has long been considered the most conservative district in the state, the 2nd in west Michigan, there have been some suggestions that U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, could be in trouble against Democratic newcomer Rob Davidson. It’s very difficult to see this district switching, however, unless there are much stronger forces than expected nationally.
Also running, 2nd District: US Taxpayers: Ronald Graeser.
Seemingly safe
Anything can happen on Election Day, but the remaining races for congressional seats in Michigan are expected to run true to form and return incumbents to the U.S. House. Those races include:
3rd District: In West Michigan, where U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, R-Cascade Township, is facing Democrat Cathy Albro and U.S. Taxpayers candidate Ted Gerrard.
4th District: In north-central Michigan, where U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, is facing Democrat Jerry Hilliard.
5th District: Around Flint, Bay City and Saginaw, where U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, is facing Republican Travis Wines and Working Class candidate Kathy Goodwin.
10th District: In northern Macomb County and the Thumb, where U.S. Rep. Paul Mitchell, R-Dryden, is facing Democrat Kimberly Bizon, Green Party candidate Harley Mikkelson and independent Jeremy Peruski.
12th District: In Wayne and Washtenaw counties and reaching Downriver, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, is facing Republican Jeff Jones, Working Class candidate Gary Walkowicz and independent Niles Niemuth.
14th District: In Detroit and Wayne County, where U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Southfield, is facing Republican Marc Herschfus and Working Class candidate Philip Kolody.
Michigan Legislature
All 38 state Senate and 110 House of Representative seats are up for grabs in this year’s election and Democrats hope to gain control of at least one chamber.
Democrats would have to hold on to the seats they hold now and make significant gains in each chamber to secure majorities.
In the House, Republicans hold a 63-46 majority, with one vacancy in a seat Democrats held. Democrats would have to regain the vacant seat and pick up nine additional seats to win a majority.
In the Senate, Republicans hold a 27-10 majority with one vacancy, again in a Democratic seat. Democrats need to regain the vacant seat and pick up nine additional seats to win a majority.
Some of their biggest hopes go through the suburbs of Oakland and western Wayne counties, where Democratic challengers racked up bigger numbers than Republicans in the Aug. 7 primary election.
Competitive Senate seats include the 12th, 13th and 15th districts in Oakland County, the 10th district in Macomb County and the 7th district in western Wayne County. Here's a look:
- 12th district: State Rep. Mike McCready, R-Bloomfield Hills, is looking to replace Sen. Jim Marleau, who can’t run again because of term limits. But IT consultant Rosemary Bayer, a Beverly Hills Democrat., got more votes than the four Republicans running in the primary election combined. Also running is Libertarian Jeff Pittel.
- 13th District: Sen. Marty Knollenberg, R-Troy, is facing a fierce challenge from Mallory McMorrow, a Royal Oak design consultant.
- 15th District: Both state Rep. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, and Julia Pulver, a Democrat and West Bloomfield nurse, are vying to fill the seat being vacated by Sen. Mike Kowall, R-White Lake, who is term-limited.
- 10th District: State Rep. Henry Yanez, D-Sterling Heights, is hoping to beat Macomb Township Republican Mike MacDonald, a financial representative for an insurance company. Libertarian MIke Saliba is also running.
- 7th District: State Rep. Laura Cox, R-Livonia, is facing a strong challenge from Dayna Polehanki, a Livonia teacher. Libertarian Joseph LeBlanc is also in the race.
Competitive House races include the 40th and 41st districts in Oakland County and the 19th and 20th districts in Wayne County. Here's a look:
- 40th District: Democrat Mari Manoogian, a former U.S. State Department employee of Birmingham is battling for an open seat against Republicans David Wolkinson of Birmingham, a former vice chairman of the Michigan Republican Party,
- 41st District: Democrat Padma Kuppa, a mechanical engineer for Chrysler from Troy, and Oakland County Commissioner Doug Tietz, a Troy resident and district director for U.S. Rep. David Trott, R-Birmingham, are vying for a set vacated by state Rep. Martin Howrylak, R-Troy, who can't run again because of term limits.
- 20th District: Democrat Matt Koleszar, a Plymouth teacher, is trying to unseat state Rep. Jeff Noble, R-Plymouth
- 19th District: Laurie Pohutsky, a Democrat and Livonia lab technician, is battling Republican Brian Meakin, a Livonia city councilman to fill the set vacated by state Rep. Laura Cox, R-Livonia, who can't run for reelection because of term limits..
County/local
There are many races for county and local officials. The county executive post is on the ballot in Wayne and Macomb counties, but not in Oakland, where that election occurs in 2020.
No straight ticket
There is no straight-ticket voting in the Nov. 6 election for the first time in many years, as a result of a law passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature, banning the practice.
Voters must mark each of their choices individually.
Absentee ballots
Eligible Michigan residents can vote by absentee ballot if any of these apply: they are at least 60 years old; unable to vote without assistance at the polls; expecting to be out of town on Election Day; in jail awaiting arraignment or trial; unable to attend the polls for religious reasons; or appointed to work as an election inspector in another precinct.
Requests for an absent voter ballot must be made in writing to city or township clerks and requests to have absentee ballots mailed must be received by clerks no later than 2 p.m. Saturday.
Completed absentee ballots must be received by the clerk no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day. A returned absentee ballot postmarked Nov. 5 but not received until Nov. 7 will not be counted.
More than one million Michigan voters have asked for absentee ballots.
Voter turnout
Based partly on the number of absentee ballots sent out and the historically strong turnout in the August primary, many election officials are expecting a record turnout for a Michigan midterm election.
Chris Thomas, a national voting expert and the former longtime director of elections for the Secretary of State, said he expects statewide turnout to be in the neighborhood of 4 million voters.
That would top 2006, when 3.8 million Michigan residents voted.
Staff writers Kathleen Gray, Lori Higgins, David Jesse and Katrease Stafford contributed.
Contact Paul Egan at 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.
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