A sign directing residents to vote at the Hannah Community Center.

ELi’s Voter Guide for the Nov. 3 Election

While the Nov. 3 Election Day is still almost a month away, absentee ballots have already been returned to kick off voting in the midterm elections. 

With election engagement ticking up in recent years, East Lansing City Clerk Emily Gordon previously told East Lansing Info election workers are preparing for a “presidential level turnout” at the midterm elections.

There will be more than two dozen items on East Lansing ballots, as federal, state, university, judicial and school board races will be settled, along with state and local ballot proposals. Races on the ballot include: 

  • Michigan Governor
  • Michigan Secretary of State
  • Michigan Attorney General
  • U.S. Senate
  • U.S. House
  • Michigan Senate
  • Michigan House
  • Michigan Board of Education
  • University of Michigan Regents
  • Michigan State University Board of Trustees
  • Wayne State University Governor
  • Lansing Community College Board of Trustees
  • Michigan Supreme Court Justices
  • District 4 Court of Appeals Judges
  • 30th Circuit Court Judges
  • Ingham County Probate Court Judge
  • East Lansing Board of Education
  • Proposal to Revise State Constitution
  • Proposal to Reform State Campaign Finance Laws
  • East Lansing Charter Amendment Related to City Council Meetings
  • East Lansing Charter Amendment Related to City Clerk
  • East Lansing Charter Amendment Related to Contracts
  • East Lansing Charter Amendment to Move Local Election Years
  • East Lansing Charter Amendment to Create a Local Healthcare Committee

That’s a full ballot. To see the candidates in each race and read the full text of ballot proposals, view a sample ballot at the Michigan Voter Information Center. Additionally, Michigan Advance has prepared a voter guide that includes information on state and federal races, along with links to candidates’ websites. 

To hear from candidates directly, there are several debates planned for this week. Candidates for Governor, Democrat Jocelyn Benson and Republican John James, will debate Tuesday at 7 p.m. on WOOD TV (WLNS locally). On Thursday, the same station will host a debate between U.S. Senate candidates, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers. 

On Tuesday, WKAR hosted a debate between Michigan’s 7th Congressional District candidates, Democrat William Lawerence and Republican Tom Barrett. 

Information on local candidates and proposals is included in this guide. 

Three on-the-ballot and three write-in candidates run for four seats on East Lansing’s school board. 

There will be four slots up for grabs on the East Lansing Board of Education. Tali Faris-Hylen, Abbie Tykocki and Delia Fernandez-Jones will appear on the ballot, while three others — Scott Farver, Timothy Schmitt and Abigail Wright-Geddes — have submitted the necessary paperwork to run as write-in candidates. 

To get to know the candidates, ELi asked them for their thoughts on the school’s budget, tech in the classroom and school safety. Read their responses here. 

Citizen ballot proposal seeks to switch City Council elections from odd- to even-numbered years. 

A group of residents are pushing to switch City Council elections from November of odd-numbered years to November of even-numbered years. The move would align council elections with state and federal elections and boost voter turnout. 

Those in favor of the amendment say it would increase participation in local elections and reduce city spending on elections. Opponents, meanwhile, say it would force candidates to spend more to be competitive in council elections and make the elections more partisan. Read a full summary of arguments in our previous reporting.

Proposal seeks to create a local healthcare commission. 

A nonprofit organization is seeking to enshrine healthcare commissions in the city charters of East Lansing and five other cities in separate ballot proposals. If the initiative is approved, East Lansing will be required to create a commission that gathers public testimony, analyzes data, and reviews how state and federal actions affect access to healthcare and affordability. Every two years, the commission will create a report on its findings and make recommendations.

The commission would be different from other East Lansing commissions because it would largely study a system that is guided by state and federal decisions, instead of local policy makers. A full explanation of how the commission would operate and how the initiative is funded can be read here. 

Three other charter amendments recommended by a review committee will appear on the ballot. 

During a review that took place in 2024 and 2025, a city committee recommended more than two dozen changes to East Lansing’s guiding document, the city charter. The first three recommendations were approved by overwhelming margins at the August primary election and three more amendments recommended by the Charter Review Committee appear on the Nov. 3 ballot. 

The first amendment would remove the requirement that a City Council meeting scheduled on a holiday would have to be rescheduled to the next secular day. It would also allow a designee of the city clerk to sign the minutes for City Council meetings and for minutes of regular and special City Council meetings to be posted online for the public. The amendment also seeks to allow the East Lansing Police Chief to have a designee serve as sergeant-at-arms during council meetings.

The second proposed amendment would allow a designee to attend City Council meetings on behalf of the city clerk.

The third proposal would amend rules about the city entering into contracts to allow designees of the city attorney and chief financial officer to aid in the execution of contracts. Current rules outline that the city attorney is required to draw up and approve contract documents and the chief financial officer is responsible for certifying whether there are sufficient funds for the contract. The proposed amendment would allow designees of the city attorney and chief financial officer to fulfill those obligations in contracts.

Check your registration, find a drop box and other local election information. 

Since a ballot initiative passed in 2018 to allow any reason absentee voting in Michigan, most East Lansing residents cast their ballot before Election Day. In a previous conversation with ELi, Gordon recommended people who mail absentee ballots do so at least two weeks before Election Day, in case there are delays in the postal system. 

Absentee ballots can also be delivered at ballot drop boxes that are located around the city. Drop boxes can be found at:

  • East Lansing Public Library
  • East Lansing City Hall (Indoors and outdoors)
  • MSU-CATA Transportation Center
  • East Lansing Department of Public Works

The city will also hold early in-person voting before Election Day. Early voting stations will be held at WKAR Studio A in Michigan State University’s Communications Arts and Sciences Building and at the Hannah Community Center. 

A graphic on the city’s website that explains voting options that are available for the Nov. 3 midterm election.

For those who vote on Election Day, East Lansing’s polling places have been reconfigured since last November’s City Council election, as the number of precincts has been reduced from 17 to 13. Residents who have not voted in-person since that election are encouraged to check their polling place online or by contacting the city clerk’s office.

Residents who need to check their voter registration, change their mind after submitting an absentee ballot or have another election-related question can head to the online Michigan Voter Information Center, which has answers to many frequently asked questions.

Deputy Editor Anna Liz Nichols contributed to this reporting.

Editor’s Note: This story may be updated as we continue to report on the Nov. 3 election.