Election Day 2022 updates: Lansing bond, charter amendment leading in count
Clinton County commission results
Updated 10:45 a.m. ET Nov. 9, 2022
Clinton County Commission results, with 33 of 34 precincts reporting (97%) as of 1 a.m.
In a District 1 race, Val Vail-Shirey is leading against Andrew Steven Wiswasser. Wiswasser had contested Vail-Shirey's residency, a judge ruled that she could continue to run after moving to care for her father.
More:Lawsuit over residency question riles Clinton County commission race
District 1: Val Vail-Shirey, Republican, 57.3% against Andrew Steven Wiswasser, no party affiliation, 42.7%
District 2: David W. Pohl, Republican, unopposed with 4,768 votes
District 3: Brian DeLong, Republican, unopposed with 3,754 votes
District 4: Kenneth Mitchell, Republican, unopposed with 4,352 votes
District 5: Robert E. Showers, Republican, unopposed with 3,995 votes
District 6: John Andrews, Democrat, with 57% against Brian J. Ross, Republican, 42.9%
District 7: Dwight Washington, Democrat, with 52.8% against Adam C. Stacey, Republican, 47.1%
Note: These are preliminary and unofficial results. Results in Michigan become official when they are certified by boards of canvassers, a process that is allowed to take up to two weeks.
-Mike Ellis, LSJ reporter
Eaton County commission reports 8-7 GOP split
Updated 9:45 a.m. ET Nov. 9, 2022
Eaton County Commission results, with 100% of precincts reporting as of 4:30 a.m.
District 1: Tim Barnes, Republican, unopposed, 98.3%
District 2: Blake Mulder, Republican, with 51.6% against Landon S. Myers, 48.3%
District 3: Terrance Augustine, Democrat, unopposed, 96.4%
District 4: Brandon Haskell, Democrat, unopposed, 97.8%
District 5: Jeanne Pearl-Wright, Democrat, with 58.5% against Julie A. Hicks, Republican, 41.5%
District 6: TJ Youngquist, Democrat, unopposed, 98.4%
District 7: Mark Mudry, Democrat, 67% against Mike Atayan, Republican, 32.8%
District 8: Joseph Brehler, Democrat, unopposed, 98.4%
District 9: Brian Droscha, Republican, unopposed, 98.7%
District 10: Jacob L. Toomey, Democrat, 51.4% against Darius Reynnet, 48.5%
District 11: Scott Hansen, Republican, unopposed, 98.2%
District 12: Brian Lautzenheiser, Republican, 58.3% against Karen Miller, Democrat, 41.5%
District 13: Jim Mott, Republican, unopposed, 98.9%
District 14: Frank Holmes, Republican, unopposed, 98%
District 15: Barbara Ann Rogers, Republican, unopposed, 96.1%
– Mike Ellis, LSJ reporter
Cavanagh, two newcomers, leading Lansing School District Board of Education race
Updated 9:30 a.m. ET Nov. 9, 2022
Incumbent Caitlin Cavanagh and two newcomers are leading the election for three spots on the Lansing School District Board of Education.
Cavanagh, an assistant professor at Michigan State University and the associate director for undergraduate education in MSU’s School of Criminal Justice, was appointed to the board of education in April to fill a vacancy left by Nathan Burroughs and complete the term.
She was the leading vote-getter Wednesday morning, with about 21,498 votes among people in three counties who voted. Rosalyn Williams and Kurt Richardson are leading the election for the final two positions on the Board of Education, with about 14,397 votes and 12,141 votes, respectively.
Anthony Strevett had about 10,100 votes Wednesday morning, followed by Ryan Smith with 9,811 and Rick Wendorf at 6,121.
– Mark Johnson, LSJ reporter
Kost wins Lansing City Council race by narrow margin
Updated 8:30 a.m. ET Nov. 9, 2022
Ryan Kost is leading appointed council person Brian Daniels in the race for Lansing City Council’s First Ward seat, according to the Ingham County Clerk’s Office. Council appointed Daniels to the seat last winter after Brandon Betts resigned.
As of 6:56 a.m. with all precincts reporting, Kost is leading with 3,776 votes against Daniels’ 3,720 votes. There were 102 unresolved write-ins.
Note: These are preliminary and unofficial results. Results in Michigan become official when they are certified by boards of canvassers, a process that is allowed to take up to two weeks.
– Krystal Nurse, LSJ reporter
Lansing bond, charter amendment leading this morning
Updated 8 a.m. ET Nov. 9, 2022
Voters in Lansing appear to be supporting the city’s latest ballot questions focused on upgrading public safety facilities and allowing those with felony convictions to serve on city boards and commissions, according to unofficial Ingham County election results.
With about 97% of precincts reporting, the first proposal was leading with 20,092 yes votes and 16,139 no votes. It removes a restriction on those with felony convictions in the past 20 years to serve on the volunteer boards.
The second proposal is a $175-million bond for Lansing’s police and fire departments, that is leading with 19,479 yes votes and 16,911 no votes. The bond, dubbed as Safer Lansing by the city, replaces and upgrades various police and fire facilities throughout the city.
Note: These are preliminary and unofficial results. Results in Michigan become official when they are certified by boards of canvassers, a process that is allowed to take up to two weeks.
– Krystal Nurse, LSJ reporter
Where vote tabulations stand this morning
Updated 7:30 a.m. ET Nov. 9, 2022
Good morning, Greater Lansing. Here’s where ballot counts stand across Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties according to counties clerks. Absentee ballots are still being counted across all counties.
Clinton County:
As of 1 a.m. Nov. 9, 40,402 people voted out of the total 58,080 registered voters. About 97% of precincts reported.
Eaton County:
As of 4:30 a.m., 53,308 ballots had been cast. About 96% of the precincts reported.
Ingham County:
As of 2:30 a.m., 111,663 ballots had been cast. About 84% of the precincts completely reported.
– Krystal Nurse, LSJ reporter
Note: These are preliminary and unofficial results. Results in Michigan become official when they are certified by boards of canvassers, a process that is allowed to take up to two weeks.
Ingham County commissioner race leaders, results still incomplete
Updated 6:40 a.m. ET Nov. 9, 2022
With 84% of precincts reporting as of 2:36 a.m. results, Ingham County stands at:
County commissioner, District 1: Randy Maiville, Republican, leads over challenger John Salyer, Democrat, 5,443 to 3,234
District 2: Karla Ruest, Republican, leads over challenger Rita Leolani Vogel, Democrat, 5,252 to 4,395.
District 3: Chris Trubac, Democrat, leads over challenger Mike Severino, Republican, 5,374 to 3,824.
District 4: Todd Tennis, Democrat, leads over challenger Jack C. Jordan, Republican, 4,794 to 2,616.
District 5: Myles Johnson, Democrat, leads over challenger Clinton Tarver, Republican, 3,789 to 1,212.
District 6: Victor G. Celetino, Democrat, unopposed, with 6,135.
District 7: Thomas Morgan, Democrat, leads over challenger Jim Schmidt, Republican, 4,957 to 1,708.
District 8: Robert Orlando Pena, Democrat, leads over challenger Evelyn Sue Davis, 4,279 to 1,242.
District 9: Ryan Seabolt, Democrat, leads over challenger Terry L. Maag, Republican, 6,071 to 1,405.
District 10: Gabrielle Lawrence, Democrat, leads over challenger Scott Greenlee, Republican, 4,393 to 1,731.
District 11: Mark Grebner, Democrat, leads over challenger Virginia Werner, Republican, 1,631 to 409.
District 12: Irene M. Cahill, Democrat, leads over challenger Mark McKeel, Republican, 1,888 to 676.
District 13: Amy Salisbury, Democrat, leads over challenger Paul Adams Lello, Republican, 6,823 to 2,965.
District 14: Mark Polsdofer, Democrat, leads over challenger Sam Frangie, Republican, 6,237 to 2,113.
District 15: Monica Schafer, Republican, leads over challenger Brooke Locke, Democrat, in the closest race, 5,078 to 5,060.
Note: These are preliminary and unofficial results. Results in Michigan become official when they are certified by boards of canvassers, a process that is allowed to take up to two weeks.
— Mike Ellis, LSJ reporter
That's all for tonight, check back tomorrow for more
Updated 1:25 a.m. ET Nov. 9, 2022
For the dedicated data hounds, you can follow along with live updates on county websites. Your local LSJ news team will be back in the morning with more coverage of general election results from across Greater Lansing.
Thank you for following along with us today, and a special thanks to all who voted — and to all the candidates who put forth their names to serve our communities. Good night.
— Al Wilson, LSJ senior news editor
Dievendorf leading in Eaton and Ingham, but not Clinton County in Michigan Representative District 77 race
Updated 1:20 a.m. ET Nov. 9, 2022
Democrat Emily Dievendorf had a lead over Republican John Magoola in Eaton and Ingham counties, but not Clinton County as of 1:15 a.m. with unofficial results still coming in for Michigan Representative District 77 race.
In Clinton County, about 84% of precincts had reported as of 1:15 a.m. Magoola had a lead with about 50.5% of votes and Dievendorf had about 49.5% of the votes.
In Eaton County, 100% of precincts had reported as of 1:25 a.m. Dievendorf had the lead with about 55% of votes with Magoola trailing at about 44% of votes.
In Ingham County, about 10% of precincts had reported, with Dievendorf with about 70% of the votes while Magoola trailed at about 29% of votes.
Michigan's independent redistricting commission drew new lines for the state House. The 77th District splits the city of Lansing north of the Grand River from the rest of the Ingham County, packaging those voters with parts of southern Clinton County and a small part of Eaton County.
Note: These are preliminary and unofficial results. Results in Michigan become official when they are certified by boards of canvassers, a process that is allowed to take up to two weeks.
– Bryce Airgood, LSJ reporter
Final MSU student casts vote at Brody Hall shortly after midnight
Updated 12:50 a.m. ET Nov. 9, 2022
The final voter at Brody Hall on Michigan State University’s campus in East Lansing cast his ballot shortly after midnight, after having gotten in line to register to vote at 7:59 p.m.
Cole Current, a computer science student from Coloma, said he was willing to wait to ensure his voice was heard.
Hundreds of MSU students were in line when the polls closed at 8 p.m. Under Michigan law, anyone in line by 8 p.m. has a right to cast a ballot.
It was a long wait for many, but they seemed to take it in stride.
Current said he learned a lesson Tuesday night: “Don’t get there at 7:59 when the polls close at 8.
"I'm exhausted," he said at 12:09 a.m.
– Jack Moreland, LSJ news assistant
$175M Lansing public safety proposal close in early returns
Updated 12:45 a.m. ET Nov. 9, 2022
A $175 million proposal to overhaul some of Lansing’s police and fire facilities was narrowly finding approval early Wednesday morning as unofficial results trickled in.
With 21.5% of precincts reporting, 51% of city voters had cast ballots in favor of the plan, while 49% voted opposed.
The proposal, if passed, would levy $3.90 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation, meaning that a household with $38,300 in taxable value, Lansing’s average, would pay an additional $153 annually for a maximum of 30 years.
The funding would be used to construct a new public safety facility including the Lansing Police Department’s headquarters, a relocated fire station and the 54A District Court. The proposal would also fund renovations for several other fire stations.
– Sheldon Krause, LSJ reporter
Begole takes large early lead in Michigan Representative District 71 race
Updated 12:05 a.m. ET Nov. 9, 2022
Republican Brian Begole had a large early lead over opponent Democrat Mark Zacharda with about 15% of precincts reporting for the new 71st District State House race.
Begole had about 63% of votes to Zacharda’s about 37% for the seat that includes the city of Owosso, covers most of Shiawassee County and trails into Saginaw and Genesee counties, according to unofficial election results.
– Bryce Airgood, LSJ reporter
Singh has slight lead over Howard in race for new State Senate seat
Updated 11:50 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
With unofficial results coming in for precincts in Clinton, Ingham and Shaiwassee counties, Democrat Sam Singh has a slight lead over Republican Daylen Howard in the race for a State Senate seat in the newly created 28th District.
Singh has just over 49% of the votes so far, according to unofficial results from the county clerks’ offices.
The district includes portions of Ingham, Clinton and Shaiwassee counties.
Singh, of East Lansing, is a former state representative and spent 12 years on East Lansing City Council.
Howard, of Owosso, a former store manager at Helzberg Diamonds, has said the impact of pandemic policies on jobs and the economy motivated him to run for office.
U.S. Taxpayers party candidate Matthew Shepard is also running for the seat.
– Rachel Greco, LSJ reporter
Some MSU students at Brody wait over three hours to vote
Updated 11:30 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Over three hours after the polls were scheduled to close at 8 p.m., students waiting to vote lined the inside of Brody Hall. Some stayed entertained by dancing to music from their speakers; others huddled around outlets waiting for their phones to charge.
The last student in line was Cole Current, a computer science student from Coloma. Current got in line at 7:59 p.m. and registered to vote. He said he was willing to wait to make sure the voice of young people is heard in the nation’s government.
“Officials listen to their voter base,” Current said. “Older people will always vote, so right now that’s their voter base.”
Elena Greer was passing out ice cream sandwiches to students in line ahead of Current. She said people from many different groups and nonprofits came out on Tuesday to encourage people to stay in line. Greer said she heard expectations at 8 p.m. of a three-hour wait for those at the end of the line. About 30 minutes from that estimate, Current was still out of sight of the ballot box. He said he’ll be sure to vote absentee in the next election.
– Jack Moreland, LSJ news assistant
Witwer overtakes Whittum in Michigan Representative District 76 race
Updated 12:15 a.m. ET Nov. 9, 2022
Democrat Angela Witwer bounced back in the polls after Republican Jeremy Whittum had a narrow early lead earlier in the night for the new 76th District State House race.
With about 81% of precincts reporting, Witwer had about 53% of the vote to Whittum’s 47% for the seat that includes much of Eaton County, according to unofficial results.
– Bryce Airgood, LSJ reporter
Vail-Shirey, Wiswasser in tight race for Clinton County commission seat
Updated 1 a.m. ET Nov. 9, 2022
With more than 85% of the precincts reporting in the race for a seat on the Clinton County Board of Commissioners in the newly drawn District 1, Republican Valerie Vail-Shirey had a lead on challenger Andrew Wiswasser, who ran with no party affiliation.
Vail-Shirey had just over 57% of the votes cast, according to unofficial results from the Clinton County Clerk’s office.
Vail-Shirey, 60, is a former legislative director in the state House and state Senate who has held elective office in Bath Township.
Wiswasser, 34, is a farmer and a 15-year police veteran who is now a sergeant in the DeWitt Township Police Department.
In August, Wiswasser filed a lawsuit in Clinton County Circuit Court seeking to have Vail-Shirey disqualified from the general election ballot on grounds that she lived at 13577 Upton Road in Bath Township, not 10505 Upton in Victor Township, as she claimed. The latter address is owned by her parents and falls within District 1. The other address is in Bath Township and is part of District 7. A judge denied the claim later that month.
District 1 includes the city of Ovid; Victor, Ovid and Duplain townships; and a portion of Greenbush Township.
– Rachel Greco, LSJ reporter
Vote remains close inGrand Ledge school board race
Updated 10:37 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
With about 37% of precincts reporting, Ashley Kuykendoll has about 27% of the vote, while Denise DuFort and Ashley Oniel have about 26% of the vote for two six-year terms on the board. Jason Devenbaugh has about 21% of the vote, according to unofficial results.
— Veronica Bolanos, LSJ news assistant
O’Neill leads Tetloff in Eaton County District Court judge race
Updated 1:05 a.m. ET Nov. 9, 2022
With unofficial results in from 100% of the precincts reporting, incumbent Judge Julie O’Neill will serve another six-year term as judge in Eaton County’s 56A District Court, according to unofficial results from the Eaton County Clerk’s Office.
O’Neill received over 61% of the vote while challenger Ryan Tetloff received about 38%, according to unofficial results.
O’Neill was elected to the position in 2016.
Tetloff has been an assistant prosecuting attorney in Eaton County since March 2015.
MORE: Public records link convicted felon to Eaton County sobriety court judge
– Rachel Greco, LSJ reporter
When results start coming in, here's how to watch
Updated 9:00 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Follow along with us here as live updates start to come in. You can also watch lansingstatejournal.com/elections/results for legislative races.
For additional results on the many local races decided by Greater Lansing voters today, visit county election websites (linked below), where live results may or may not be updated regularly depending on local clerks. (Note: LSJ staff have no involvement in these websites, nor in posting of updates.)
Hit refresh often on all results pages to ensure you're seeing the latest updates!
– Veronica Bolanos, LSJ news assistant
Why one ‘grouchy’ would-be voter kicked over a plant at a Meridian Township poll
Updated 9:25 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Meridian Township Clerk Deborah Guthrie said voters Tuesday were “the most patient voters I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Except for one “grouchy” would-be voter who kicked over a plant and sign at the Meridian Township Municipal Building, she said.
Michigan law states that at 8 p.m. election workers must close the polls and people can no longer get in line to vote. But election workers can’t lock the precinct doors. So Guthrie put up a barrier with a plant and a sign to ensure people would know the precinct was closed, she said.
But one voter wanted to come in and vote at 8:01 p.m. She said she was sorry, but by law the polls close at 8 p.m. The man kicked over the plant as a result, she said, and she texted Meridian Township Police Chief Ken Plaga to send an officer over. There was a police presence for a brief time in the municipal building.
The man was not allowed to vote.
Aside from the incident, Guthrie said this election was much smoother than the August primary and the polling locations were so busy it felt like a presidential election.
“It’s gonna break a record gubernatorial turnout here in Meridian Township,” she said.
— Bryce Airgood, LSJ reporter
Students waited hours in line at East Lansing City Hall
Updated 9:05 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
EAST LANSING — Max Byer, an Ann Arbor resident and student at Michigan State University, was part of the long line that stretched alongside Abbot Road.
The MSU student says he waited for more than two hours to register at East Lansing City Hall, and other students in line nodded in agreement.
“It’s kind of annoying that we have to wait in a whole different line” he said. “It honestly would’ve been less time consuming if I just drove home and voted instead of waiting in line here.”
A couple minutes after the polls closed, there were still a little over a dozen voters in both lines, to register and to vote. Some voters said that pizza was being passed out while they were in line waiting.
– Veronica Bolanos, LSJ news assistant
When results start coming in, here's how to watch
Updated 9:00 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Follow along with us here as live updates start to come in. You can also watch lansingstatejournal.com/elections/results for legislative races.
For additional results on the many local races decided by Greater Lansing voters today, visit county election websites (linked below), where live results may or may not be updated regularly depending on local clerks. (Note: LSJ staff have no involvement in these websites, nor in posting of updates.)
Hit refresh often on all results pages to ensure you're seeing the latest updates!
– Veronica Bolanos, LSJ news assistant
'Everybody’s vote matters’: Friends go to polling place twice in Meridian Township
Updated 8:45 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
As the doors closed for polling in Meridian Township, there were still several people in line waiting to cast their ballots.
Including Michigan State University students and roommates Dave Tamondong, 22, and Marcus Djokic, 24, who were both back for the second time that day.
Djokic had voted earlier and was accompanying Tamondong to fix his ballot, which he had made a mistake on earlier. But the two found a way to have fun in line, watching the Marvel movie “Morbius” on Netflix about a vampire.
“We were morbin’ in line,” Djokic joked, and they were planning to finish the move at home afterward.
When asked why they came back, despite the inconvenience, Tamondong said “everybody’s vote matters” and it’s something everyone should do.
“I think it’s important we have our voices heard,” Djokic said.
– Bryce Airgood, LSJ reporter
Polls are now closed
Updated 8 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
It's 8 p.m. ET and polls are now closed across much of the state — although four western Upper Peninsula counties — Dickinson, Gogebic, Iron and Menominee — are in the Central time zone so polls there close an hour later at 9 p.m. ET.
It is also the deadline for returning an absentee ballot by drop box or to your local clerk. Remember, if you were in line before or at 8 p.m. stay in line because anyone in line by 8 p.m. must be allowed to vote.
Live results in state legislative races will flow in at lansingstatejournal.com/elections/results. And follow live updates here as unofficial results are recorded (Note: Results in Michigan become official when they are certified by boards of canvassers, a process that is allowed to take up to two weeks).
— Staff report
DeWitt Twp. precinct draws more than 600 voters
Updated 7:45 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Poll workers at DeWitt Middle School said more than 600 voters had cast their ballots as of 6 p.m. in DeWitt Township’s Precinct 1.
Susan Bartold said that she showed up to vote against Michigan’s proposed constitutional amendments.
She said that she was “flabbergasted” when reading the language of the three proposals.
“I thought I had read the full thing, but changed my mind when I saw that because there's a whole bunch of other stuff in the proposals that I wasn't aware of,” she said. “I'm a little blindsided by the deception.”
Kyleigh Greenhoe, an 18-year-old first-time voter, said that Proposal 3i was her main reason for coming out to vote. She was also there to support a family friend running for school board.
Max Helzer, a young voter in the precinct, said that it was his “civic duty” to participate in the election.
“It’s kind of like a little holiday for me,” he said. “I like every two years that I get to come out here and do it.”
– Sheldon Krause, LSJ reporter
Proposal 3, inflation on minds of Eaton County voters
Updated 7:30 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
First-time voters Lass Rwandz and Lidia McEldowney, both 19, came to Charlotte City Hall to cast “yes” votes for Proposal 3.
“I voted for women’s rights,” Rwandz said. “That’s the only reason why I came out here to vote.”
“I don’t think women should be told what to do with their body,” McEldowney said. “It’s 2022 and feel like we’ve evolved from that and I don’t think we should be taking steps back. I feel like we’re going in the wrong direction.”
Proposal 3 concerns Sue Diaz, 45, too, but she doesn’t support it. She voted at the Eaton Township Hall, exiting into a packed parking lot after casting her ballot just before 6 p.m.
“Proposal 3 is terrible,” Diaz said. “The way the proposal is written and the way that it’s being advertised as far as what it says is complete opposites.”
Beckey Perkins, who voted at Eaton Township Hall Tuesday evening, was focused on the economy and said high inflation rates have made life harder for so many people.
“I want to get our country back,” she said, and for her that means voting for Republicans.
“People are losing their jobs and their homes and they’re fighting at the grocery stores and I don’t like it,” Perkins said. “There’s more than enough food, more than enough everything to go around and there’s too many greedy politicians.”
– Rachel Greco, LSJ reporter
Last minute reminders before the polls close at 8 p.m.
Updated 7 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum and East Lansing City Clerk Jennifer Shuster have a few last minute reminders for voters, including that people who are in line at 8 p.m. can stay and vote.
“If you are in line, you can still exercise your right to cast your vote, you still have plenty of time to do so," Shuster said. "Also, make sure you’re going to the right polling location."
Byrum said if someone voted absentee, they need to check both sides to make sure it's filled out properly, they need to make sure to sign the back of the envelope so the signature can be verified, “and get that to their clerk or to their clerk’s drop box by 8 p.m. tonight.”
Follow live updates here as results are recorded beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Hit refresh in your browser window, or bookmark and reload this link to ensure you have the most recently updated version.
— Veronica Bolanos, LSJ news assistant
Most Michigan counties will have some hand-delivered results
Updated 6 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Of Michigan’s 83 counties, most of them will have some clerks physically driving election results to their county offices.
Michigan Secretary of State spokesperson Jake Rollow said during a 5 p.m. media call that about 65 or more counties would have some local clerks driving flash drives with election results to their county clerk offices.
He said there’s no way to guess how long the process will take. The process typically takes longer than electronically transmitting results.
Since the August primary, county clerks have worked to establish the best protocols for this process.
– Bryce Airgood, LSJ reporter
Michigan absentee ballot returns surpass 1.8 million
Updated 5:27 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Here are updated Election Day numbers from the Michigan Secretary of State office as of 5 p.m. ET.
Absentee ballots submitted:1,807,127
Absentee ballots requested: 2,022,885
Same-day registrations: 8,828
Follow live updates here as results are recorded beginning at 8 p.m. Hit refresh in your browser window, or bookmark and reload this link to ensure you have the most recently updated version.
— Bryce Airgood, LSJ reporter
Prop 3, gubernatorial race motivating MSU students
4:53 p.m. ET, Nov. 8, 2022
Hundreds of Michigan State students are turning out to vote in today’s midterm election, many citing Proposal Three and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s re-election bid as motivating factors.
Emily Phillips, a freshman mechanical engineering major who was waiting to vote at MSU’s Brody Hall Tuesday afternoon, said, “I feel like as a woman, I need to stand up for myself and voting yes on Proposal 3 will give me the rights that I deserve as a woman and as a human being in this country.”
Jack Laws, a junior math major, said that Proposal 3 is “easily half the reason I'm here. It's an issue that's really near and dear to me.”
Other students voiced their support for Whitmer, who is facing a fierce challenge from Republican Tudor Dixon.
“Gretchen Whitmer’s promises for benefits for public school teachers is one of the big things for me,” said Taylor Popp, a sophomore social science major.
Jennifer Shuster, clerk for the city of East Lansing, said that several hundred students had already voted by 3 p.m., with a few hundred more still in line. Shuster also said that most students are registering to vote in East Lansing while waiting in line.
“The energy is wonderful. Students are engaged in voting and exercising their right to vote,” she said. “So, this is really exciting to see them out here and taking advantage of the satellite office and our main office back at City Hall.”
Shuster estimated that more than a thousand students could vote at the location by the end of the day.
– Sheldon Krause, LSJ reporter
In-person voting drives turnout
4:30 p.m. ET, Nov. 8, 2022
DeWitt Township Clerk Adam Cramton said in person votes have been more than anticipated with steady traffic all day across his township’s seven precincts.
“For a midterm, this is way more than expected,” Cramton said. Small, but quickly moving, lines formed inside.
Voters were in and out in less than ten minutes Tuesday afternoon as school buses departed from DeWitt Middle School. —Mike Ellis, LSJ reporter
Mason expecting late surge of voters, sees high absentee ballot return rate
Updated 4:00 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Voter turnout was a bit low in Mason Tuesday morning, but officials expect a rush before polls close.
Just 44% of registered voters had submitted their ballots as of 2 p.m. Tuesday. During the 2018 midterm elections, 65% of registered voters voted, said Mason City Manager Deb Stuart. But she expects turnout to jump soon.
Many Mason residents commute for work, she said, with poll activity picking up in the morning, around lunchtime and in the evening on Election Day.
The number of absentee ballots submitted is also down. In the 2020 presidential election, Mason election officials received nearly 3,000 absentee ballots. As of 2 p.m., voters had submitted 1,949 absentee ballots, Stuart said.
But, like at polls in other communities, Mason is also seeing a high absentee ballot return rate. As of 10:30 a.m., nearly 91% of absentee ballots issued had been submitted.
— Mark Johnson, LSJ reporter
What you need to know about Lansing's $175-million public safety proposal
Updated 3 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Lansing officials are asking for $175 million to update and build new police and fire facilities because, they say, some buildings are so run-down it’s not cost effective to renovate them or safe to continue operating them.
Follow live updates here as results start to come in. Hit refresh in your browser window, or bookmark and reload this link to ensure you have the most recently updated version.
– Sheldon Krause, LSJ reporter
Hear from the candidates on key issues in their own words
Updated 2:30 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Among the candidates on the general election ballot are the Democratic and Republican primary winners, now vying for three State Senate seats that cover different portions of Greater Lansing. Hear from the candidates in their own words at the links below.
Not sure which district you vote in? Visit the Michigan Voter Information Center. For these and more candidate answers to key issues facing voters in Greater Lansing, click here.
– Jack Moreland, LSJ news assistant
Nearly 4,000 new registrations reported
Updated 2 p.m. ET, Nov. 8, 2022
Michigan Secretary of State spokesperson Jake Rollow reported that 3,666 people registered to vote on Election Day as of 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The same-day registrations are led by college towns Ann Arbor and East Lansing, which together account for about 1 in 6 same-day registrations (the cities account for less than 2% of the state’s population).
He said tens of thousands registered in the 2020 general election.
About 1,759,000 absentee ballots had been returned by 12:30 p.m., Rollow said.
Election results may not be available from some jurisdictions until 24 hours after polls close because the counting of those 1.7 million ballots cannot start until then, he said.
-Mike Ellis, LSJ reporter
What drives election mishaps? In most cases, human error, clerks say
Updated 1:30 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Evan Hope has been the clerk in Delhi Township for 24 years. The Democrat said mistakes can happen on election night with results being transmitted wrong if someone submitted them in the system incorrectly.
Follow live updates here as results start to come in. Hit refresh in your browser window, or bookmark and reload this link to ensure you have the most recently updated version.
– Bryce Airgood, LSJ reporter
Reminders from Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum on Election Day
Updated 1 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Voting is well underway today as people head to drop boxes and polling places to make their voices heard.
Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum said there some rules to follow. Anyone working for a political organization or campaign cannot canvass, collect signatures, or display or distribute promotional materials that influences voters within 100 feet of a polling location.
Still in line when polls close? Byrum said voters have a right to be there.
“If a voter or a person is waiting to register to vote, they should stay in line to exercise their right to vote,” she said.
– Krystal Nurse, LSJ reporter
High absentee ballot return rate in Charlotte
Updated 12:30 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
More than 500 people had voted in-person in Charlotte by 10 a.m. in Tuesday’s election.
Charlotte City Clerk Mary LaRocque, who became clerk in 2021, said absentee numbers have been strong.
Larocque issued about 1,672 absentee ballots and 1,476 had been returned as of Tuesday morning, making for a return rate of more than 88%.
“I’m still getting them returned today,” she said. “That’s a very high return rate.”
– Mark Johnson, LSJ reporter
Lawsuit over residency question riles Clinton County commission race
Updated Noon. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Valerie Vail-Shirey filed to run for the Clinton County Board of Commissioners as a Republican last spring in the newly drawn District 1, and declared that she lives on Upton Road in Victor Township.
After filing to run against her in the general election as an independent, Andrew Wiswasser tried − and failed − to get her disqualified from the ballot, saying she actually lives a few miles south at a different address on Upton Road in Bath Township, a home that is in a different commission district.
In August, shortly after filing to run for the county commission seat, he filed a lawsuit in Clinton County Circuit Court seeking to have Vail-Shirey disqualified from the general election ballot on grounds that she lived at 13577 Upton Road in Bath Township, not 10505 Upton in Victor Township, as she claimed. The latter address is owned by her parents and falls within District 1. The other address is in Bath Township and is part of District 7.
In late August, Shiawassee County Judge Matthew Stewart denied Wiswasser's request for a writ of mandamus, saying the clerk had no clear legal duty to investigate beyond comparing Vail-Shirey's affidavit with the Qualified Voter File. There was no evidence Wiswasser presented his case to the clerk's office or that he called the state elections bureau to press the issue, the judge said.
– Ken Palmer, LSJ reporter
RELATED LINK: Lawsuit over residency question riles Clinton County commission race
Michigan State University students vote at Brody Hall
Updated 11:30 a.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Michigan State University students voted at East Lansing’s satellite election site at Brody Hall Tuesday.Third-year student Teanna Barnes lives off campus in East Lansing and said registering and voting was easy. She previously voted absentee in 2020.
Graduate Anna Lin, who voted absentee through her Hartland residence, visited Brody wearing an “Ask me why I voted” T-shirt. She participated in the Get Out the Vote initiative in 2020 and worked with coworkers on campus to inform students about this year’s election.
Barnes hopes both MSU and East Lansing improve communication, so students have a better understanding of where to vote next time. “I didn’t know about this specific location before my professor (told students),” she said.
– Krystal Nurse, LSJ reporter
Problems voting? Reach out to us or the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline
Updated 11 a.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
If you have any issues voting, working or volunteering on Election Day, let us know. Some state and federal officials have expressed concerns about possible voter suppression or intimidation on Tuesday.
To report any issues to the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline, use one of the following phone numbers:
866-OUR-VOTE (English)
888-VE-Y-VOTA (Spanish)
844-YALLA-US (Arabic)
888-API-VOTE (Bengali, Cantonese, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, Urdu and Vietnamese)
You may also reach out to us in the LSJ newsroom with concerns and/or story ideas. Contact us by emailing metro@lsj.com or on Facebook Messenger.
– Al Wilson, LSJ senior news editor
Turnout appears to be strong
Updated 10:30 a.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Jake Rollow, a spokesperson for the Michigan Secretary of State office, said Tuesday that initial figures suggest a strong turnout.
In 2018, the last gubernatorial election, the state had the highest turnout for a gubernatorial election since 1970 with 42% of registered voters voting. The total in 1970 was 67%; the record for a gubernatorial election in the state was 1962 with 75% turnout. There are 8.2 million registered voters in the state.
Anne McIlhagga, precinct leader at East Lansing’s precinct 7 (St. Paul Lutheran Church on Lake Lansing Road) said turnout early Tuesday was more than in recent elections, including the 2020 general election in which many people voted absentee. The precinct had 61 voters as of 8:45 a.m., out of 1,644 registered voters and there was no line at the time.
– Mike Ellis, LSJ reporter
Women’s rights draw first-time voter to polls
Updated 10 a.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Janya Anthony cast her ballot at the Lansing City Clerk’s office on Capitol Avenue Tuesday morning to exercise her rights to vote, she said. Her focus is Proposal 3, which asks voters if they want to add abortion rights to the state Constitution.
Her aunt and state Senate candidate Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, accompanied Janya Anthony to the Lansing offices.
Janya Anthony said her first time voting went smoothly from registration to submitting her ballot. She’s undecided if she’ll continue voting in person in future elections.
– Krystal Nurse, LSJ reporter
More than 2 million sought absentee ballots
Updated 9:30 a.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
More than 2 million Michigan voters have requested absentee ballots and 1.7 million have been returned, according to early Tuesday figures from the Secretary of State’s office.
Elections are conducted by local clerks in the state’s decentralized election system with $8 million in grants sent to local clerks to help secure the election. Local clerks created emergency and contingency plans, which now include the potential for intentional disruption, state officials said during a morning press conference.
No widespread problems have been reported statewide this morning.
– Mike Ellis, LSJ reporter
Michigan's August primary election encountered small hiccups in a handful of communities
Updated 9 a.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
As Michigan voters headed to the polls and returned absentee ballots in the state's August primary election, some in a handful of communities encountered hiccups, and, in one instance, prompted the Secretary of State's Office to ask a county clerk to supervise the election in a small township in west Michigan instead of the local clerk.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson heralded Election Day as a success, speaking outside her own polling location.
– Clara Hendrickson and Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press reporters
Hear from the candidates on key issues in their own words
Updated 8:30 a.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Among the candidates on the general election ballot are the Democratic and Republican primary winners, now vying for six State House seats that cover different portions of Greater Lansing. Hear from the candidates in their own words at the links below.
Not sure which district you vote in? Visit the Michigan Voter Information Center. For these and more candidate answers to key issues facing voters in Greater Lansing, click here.
– Jack Moreland, LSJ news assistant
It is not too late! You can still register and vote
Updated 8 a.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Don't forget: Michigan has same-day voter registration. If you haven't registered to vote yet, you can still register and then cast a ballot today if you bring proof of residency to your city or township clerk’s office.
Officials can accept a Michigan driver’s license or state identification card, a current utility bill, a bank statement, a pay stub or other official government document. To find your clerk's office, visit the Michigan Voter Information Center.
— Jayne Higo, LSJ news assistant
New districts, polling places for voters in 2022
Updated 7:30 a.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
The 2022 election cycle follows the state’s decennial redistricting and reapportionment process based on 2020 census data, and that could add to voter confusion.
Some voters are only now learning they are in a new congressional district, a new state Senate or House district or a new county commission district. And in many cases, some have a new polling place, too. Need help finding your polling place? Visit the Michigan Voter Information Center. Read more here.
– Ken Palmer, LSJ reporter
Polls open across much of Michigan; follow our live updates
Updated 7 a.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022
Across Greater Lansing, voters will select which candidates will take office in the state legislature, on county boards and more. In addition, voters also face a variety of ballot proposals. Among them:
Various municipal proposals
Lansing State Journal staff will provide live updates to this blog throughout the day to keep you informed on Greater Lansing’s competitive local races. Bookmark this page and click refresh to stay up to date.
– Jayne Higo, LSJ news assistant
Follow along here for live updates on the Nov. 8 general election
Updated 10 p.m. ET Nov. 7, 2022
Tuesday, Nov. 8 is Election Day! And your local news team at the Lansing State Journal will provide live coverage throughout the day, including:
Local candidate questionnaires: Offering responses to key issues in their own words
News and photo galleries from polls across Greater Lansing
Live updates as results start coming in at 8 p.m. ET
More:Gallery: Taking a look at Greater Lansing's new political districts
Bookmark this page and click refresh throughout the day tomorrow to stay up to date. You can also follow us at Facebook.com/LSJnews and on Twitter @LSJnews for updates.
– Jayne Higo, LSJ news assistant
SEE SOMETHING FISHY? Contact the newsroom by emailing metro@lsj.com or on Facebook Messenger.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Election Day 2022: Final MSU student casts vote shortly after midnight
