A dynamic governor’s race and a sense of duty will bring some MSU students to the polls Aug. 6, while others said they can’t seem to secure their absentee ballots in time.
Tuesday’s primary election is expected to draw about 1.5 million Michigan voters to the polls, Secretary of State Candice Miller said. But the number represents just 22 percent of Michigan’s registered voters.
The numbers are based on past primary turnouts, absentee voter activity and information from local election officials.
Voters who usually participate in the primaries are tenacious about expressing their political views, experts say. MSU Department of Communication Chairman Charles Atkin said some citizens will vote under any circumstances.
“You’ll always have your hard-core people who will vote no matter who or what’s on the ballot,” he said. “They feel it’s their duty.”
Kasandra Scales falls under that category.
The physiology senior said she doesn’t see why others would let their privilege go to waste.
“I have the option to choose who I want to be in office and, since I have that option, I’m going to exercise it,” she said.
Scales said many of her peers don’t live in the city they are registered in and don’t feel like going through the hassle of obtaining an absentee ballot.
“They can’t be bothered,” she said. “They feel inconvenienced.”
Erin Welsh, an accounting graduate student, said the primaries snuck up on her this year. The Saginaw native wasn’t able to come by an absentee ballot before the mailing deadline passed Saturday.
“I didn’t even realize it was time for the primaries,” she said. “I mean, I saw the commercials, but I didn’t realize it was that close.”
Although students might not be turning out in droves, political experts say another faction will pick up the slack.
Atkin predicts the state’s labor union members will be one of the biggest voting forces in the primary. Mount Clemens U.S. Rep. David Bonior has received a lot of support from various labor unions in his race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination while Attorney General Jennifer Granholm has the support of education workers.
This leaves former Gov. James Blanchard, the third Democratic gubernatorial candidate, out in the cold, Atkin said.
“He’s slipping badly,” he said. “It has to be a little frustrating for him after months of campaigning and spending.
“He came in thinking he wouldn’t have to put up much of a fight.”
Political experts continue to call the Republican matchup a done deal. Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus continues to lead Battle Creek state Sen. John “Joe” Schwarz in the polls and Lansing-based polling firm EPIC/MRA Vice President Ed Sarpolus said he sees no end to the dominance.
“No one knows who Joe Schwarz is,” he said. “He has no chance.”
This year is the first in many governor’s races where all the candidates are fit for the job, Atkin said.
“Both parties’ candidates are really strong people,” he said. “All five of them are quite capable of running the state.”
East Lansing resident Steve Scheffel said the tight governor’s race is one of the most important aspects of this year’s ballot.
“A lot of people feel disenfranchised, they feel they don’t have a stake in it,” he said.
“But why isn’t it important to vote?
“It’s democracy in action.”
Katie Byrne can be reached at byrnecat@msu.edu.
