Ann Arbor voters could decide if they want to maintain partisan city elections in November.
Organizers for the “Coalition for Ann Arbor’s Future” group are collecting signatures to put an item on the November ballot giving voters the opportunity to end partisan elections in Ann Arbor.
John Godfrey is a member of the coalition. He says ending partisan elections for races, like Mayor and City Council, encourages voters to research candidates' previous affiliations in advance of election day.
“This means that voters are more likely to evaluate a candidate based on their experience, qualifications and position on local issues, rather than simply party affiliation.”
Godfrey says the petition item would also eliminate the August primary for city positions, which historically suffers from low voter turnout.
Godfrey says the grassroots group isn't concerned about candidates withholding their true political ideology if they’re not associated with a party, because previous affiliations are often public online.
“Partisan affiliations are easily discoverable. It’s public information. We live now in the digital age, and people who are interested in public service usually have a significant footprint on social media or in other activities and organizations.”
Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti are the only remaining municipalities in the state that have partisan city elections.
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