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Here’s special, secret knowledge. There’s an election just around the corner.
Not the six-months-from-now, November regular ol’ election corner.
Nope, we’re talking about the coming- right-up, Cinco de Mayo, May Five Primary Election corner.
Yup, no joke. You’re excused if you had no idea. Even folks who vote regularly in November elections are often clueless about primaries.
Never fear, dear reader. Here’s everything you need to know.
On and off.
First, what’s on the May ballot.
Issue Seven is a point eight mil additional levy to support nine-one-one services in the county. It will replace an expiring point seven mil levy for a net increase of point one mil. County leaders say the increase is necessary to upgrade aging infrastructure. It will allow reporting emergencies via text message rather than requiring a phone call Issue Eight is a point nine mill additional levy for the Toledo Zoo. It will replace two expiring levies that total one point six five mils. This means the tax bill will actually go down by three quarters of a mil. Zoo leader Jeff Sailer says his ultimate goal is to eventually make the Zoo self-sufficient, eliminating the need for levy support altogether.
There are also school levies on the ballot, necessitated by drastic cuts in state funding for public education. Springfield, Sylvania, Otsego, and Evergreen Districts all have levies on the ballot.
There’s lots of races on the ballot. You’ll see a dearth of candidates, though. These are partisan primaries, meaning you declare which party’s ballot you want, and only candidates from that party will appear. Most candidates are unopposed within their own party. You’ll see races for judge, state rep, state senate, and county commissioner and auditor, but pretty much all will have only one candidate listed.
Declare issues only, and you won’t see any candidates at all.
Now for what’s not on the ballot.
First is Dem candidate for re-election to House District Forty-One, Erika White. She’s a leader of the local communication workers union and has run for office before. This time it appears she screwed up the petitions required to get on the ballot and has to run as a write-in. Can’t get petitions right, yet wants to run the state.
You’ll also not see a levy for Toledo Public Schools on the ballot. State cuts have hit schools hard all over the area.
See above.
Tee Pee Ess is famously facing a massive budget hole of nearly seventy million dollars. Rather than seek additional levy funds to plug the gap, school leaders have decided to instead cut the bejesus out of their budget. School closures, reorganization, and layoffs of
hundreds of employees from teachers to custodians are in the offing.
Cue chaos imminent.
Vote, dammit
That’s your thumbnail sketch. Now get your thumbs to your polling place and get your democracy on.
Voter turnout is historically low for primary elections, likely because most voters aren’t even aware when they’re being held.
Welp, now you gots no excuses.
Take a break from the margaritas and nachos and vote May Fifth.
