Meet and greet for Ottawa County Board candidates set for April 18
HOLLAND — It’s going to be a busy year for the League of Women Voters Holland Area with several elections featuring local, state and national offices on the calendar.
With that in mind, the organization has several upcoming events coming up to inform the community about local candidates and educate voters on new voting rights.
A bilingual event in cooperation with Latin Americans United For Progress will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, at LAUP's office — 430 W. 17th St. in Holland.
The event is intended to help voters learn about Michigan’s new voting rights, about upcoming primary elections and give participants an opportunity register to vote. It will also offer a unique opportunity for voters to practice voting with a real voting machine.
“The county registrar is coming with voting machines so after we do our bilingual presentation, we will have a mock voting set up so that people who want to can actually go through it just like they would at a polling place,” said Barb Ferguson, president of the League of Women Voters Holland Area. “They can go through the process so they know what it’s like and they can actually experience the process, so they know what to expect when they go in to vote.”
More: Our go-to guide for races in Ottawa, Allegan counties
Two days later, the LWV Holland Area will host a meet and greet with candidates for the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners. All 11 seats on the county board are up for election this year. With a change in state law, those elected in November will serve four-year terms, as opposed to two-year terms.
The meet and greet event is from 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, April 18, at the Howard Miller Public Library at 14 S. Church St. in Zeeland.
“We think it’s really important for voters to know the candidates, to know what their beliefs are and what their goals are so they can make an informed choice when they are voting,” Ferguson said. “Looking towards the primary election in August, this is the first of what we hope will be several events that give voters an opportunity to learn more about the candidates before they vote.”
Along with introductions and short informational presentations by the candidates, Ferguson said there will also be opportunities for one-on-one questions with the candidates.
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All candidates who have filed to run have been invited, and anyone who files by April 18 will receive an invitation. So far, 14 candidates have agreed to participate.
Ferguson said that Ottawa Impact-affiliated commissioner Lucy Ebel, who is facing a recall challenge in the May 7 election, has declined to participate in the event.
A full list of candidates that have filed to run is available on the county's website, miottawa.org. The deadline for candidates to file is Tuesday, April 23.
The League of Women Voters Holland Area plans to continue to provide information in the coming months and has plans for additional events. Visit lwvholland.org for more information.
— Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Meet and greet for Ottawa County Board candidates set for April 18
