Peninsula Township Elections 101: Everything You Need to Know

(Editor’s Note: Thanks to Paula Kelley for giving us the scoop on how the elections work for us here in Peninsula Township. Read on for her notes. -jb)

I am so pleased that Ann Swaney submitted the article to Old Mission Gazette on the voting process for the August and November elections. For the first time that I can remember, we have a full slate of candidates running for four open Trustee positions on the Town Board, in addition to two candidates for Supervisor.

Here are the candidates running for positions with Peninsula Township:

• Supervisor: Maura Sanders (R), Kelly Clark (R)
• Treasurer: Katie Clark (R)
• Clerk: Rebecca Chown (D)
• Trustee: Julie Alexander (D), Warner Queeny (D), Armen Shanafelt (D), Isaiah Wunsch (D), Kate Jerman (R), Mark Luea (R), J.P. Milliken (R), David Sanger (R), Fred Swaffer (R)

(Editor’s Note: Per an email exchange with the Township Clerk, Becky Chown, Sheila Johnson is also running for Trustee. Because she filed as unaffiliated, she will not be on the August ballot, but her name WILL appear on the November ballot. Also, if you click the links on the names above, you can read their responses to a candidate questionnaire I sent out. If there is no link, I have not received their responses back. -jb)

I am getting a lot of questions from friends and neighbors as to how the election process will work for the Old Mission Peninsula. I would suggest that everyone read Ann Swaney’s article first to get a general overview, but here is how the election process would flow for residents of Peninsula Township.

Primary Election – August 6

As Ann Swaney points out, the August 6 Primary Election is a partisan primary, meaning you cannot split your ballot. You must either vote Republican or Democrat on BOTH sides of the ballot, and you may, of course, vote on any of the proposals.

You do not have to vote for the party you are most closely affiliated with. In other words, if you tend to vote Democrat, you may still vote on the Republican section of the ballot, as long as ALL your votes on BOTH sides of the ballot are on the Republican section.

If you vote for both Democrat and Republican candidates, your ballot will be spoiled, and your votes will not count. See Ann’s article for more information.

Here is how the August Primary Election looks for Peninsula Township:

Supervisor: There are no Democrat candidates, so the August election will determine who our new Township Supervisor will be. If you want to vote for Township Supervisor, you must vote on the Republican side of the ballot in the August election.

Treasurer: Ms. Clark is running unopposed, so she will be the new Treasurer for the Township when officials are sworn in after the November election.

Clerk: Ms. Chown is also running unopposed and is the current Township Clerk, so she will continue as Clerk after the November election.

Trustee: There are four open Trustee positions on the Town Board that are up for grabs. There are four Democrats and five Republicans vying for these positions.

• All four of the Democrat candidates will automatically advance to the November election.
• Four out of the five Republican candidates will advance to the November election. Voters who choose to vote on the Republican side of the ballot will get to vote for no more than four Republican trustee candidates.

General Election – November 5

During the November 5 General Election, you may split your ballot. You may vote for any combination of Democrat or Republican candidates on any slate (Presidential, state, local) up to the limits on the ballot language (i.e. “…vote for no more than four…”).

This election is also the Presidential election. The Presidential Primary was earlier this year.

Here is how the November General Election looks for Peninsula Township:

Supervisor: The winning candidate’s name from the August election will appear on the ballot, but since both candidates are Republican, whoever wins in August becomes our new Supervisor.

Treasurer: As mentioned, Ms. Clark is running unopposed, so she will automatically become our new Treasurer.

Clerk: As mentioned, Ms. Chown is running unopposed, so she will automatically continue as Clerk.

Trustee: As mentioned, there are four Trustee positions available.

• There will be four Democrats (automatically forwarded from the August election) and four Republicans (the top four vote getters from the August election) to choose from. (Editor’s Note: As mentioned above, Sheila Johnson’s name will also appear on the November ballot; she is running as unaffiliated. -jb)
• In this election, voters may select any four candidates from either party. A resident may vote for one Democrat + three Republicans, or four Democrats, or two Democrats + two Republicans, etc. Any combination up to four.
• The top four candidates with the most votes will become the Township Trustees.

The most important thing is to please get out and vote 😊

Also Read…

Read This Before Voting in the August Primary Election, In Person or Absentee Ballot

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