Here's the Ballot

Next Tuesday the ballot will be full people, proposals and initiatives to vote on. Here's a little help sorting through it all for those living in the Holland or Grand Rapids areas. You can also go to publius.org and simply type in your name to see exactly what your ballot will look like.

These are the presidential candidates:

Badnarik, Michael [LIB]
Brown, Walter [NLP]
Bush, George W. [REP]
Cobb, David [GRN]
Kerry, John F. [DEM]
Nader, Ralph [NPA]
Peroutka, Michael Anthony [UST]

Here are candidates for Vice-President:

Baldwin, Chuck [UST]
Camejo, Peter Miguel [NPA]
Campagna, Richard [LIB]
Cheney, Dick [REP]
Edwards, John [DEM]
Herbert, Mary Alice [NLP]
LaMarche, Patricia [GRN]

For 2nd Congressional District in Michigan (Holland etc.):

Graeser, Ronald E. [UST]
Hoekstra, Peter [REP]
Kotos, Kimon [DEM]
VanTil, Steve [LIB]

For 3rd Congressional District in Michigan (Grand Rapids etc.)

Adams, Warren [LIB]
Ehlers, Vernon J. [REP]
Hickey, Peter H. [DEM]
Sales, Marcel J. [UST]

Click here to use the interactive voter map to find your candidates for State representitive.

For Justice of the Supreme Court:

Kelly, Marilyn [NPA] Markman, Stephen J. [NPA] Schwartz, Leonard [NPA] Thomas, Deborah [NPA] Zahra, Brian Keith [NPA]

For State Board of Education:

Boman, Scotty [LIB]
Danhof, Nancy [REP]
Graeser, Gail M. [UST]
McGuire, Marianne Yared [DEM]
McLogan, Colette [NLP]
Moyer, Herbert S. [DEM]
Ponzetti, Peter [GRN]
Poortenga, Stephanie [UST]
Smart, Robert M. [REP]
Whiteside, Ernie [LIB]

For The University of Michigan Board of Regents:

Boman, Scotty [LIB]
Danhof, Nancy [REP]
Graeser, Gail M. [UST]
McGuire, Marianne Yared [DEM]
McLogan, Colette [NLP]
Moyer, Herbert S. [DEM]
Ponzetti, Peter [GRN]
Poortenga, Stephanie [UST]
Smart, Robert M. [REP]
Whiteside, Ernie [LIB]

For Member of the Michigan State University Board of Trustees:

Burgis, Benjamin Alan [GRN]
Dern, Katherine [NLP]
Ferguson, Joel I. [DEM]
Foster, Melanie [REP]
Hall, Bill [LIB]
Miller, Michael H. [LIB]
Pittman, Randall [REP]
Thompson, Phil [DEM]
Van Sickle, Crystal [UST]

For Member of The Wayne State University Board of Governors:

Abbott, Tina [DEM]
Adams, Philip A. [UST]
Guttshall, Margaret [GRN]
Haroutunian, Susan Licata [REP]
Hillegonds, Paul C. [REP]
Jankiewicz, Jerry [LIB]
Jones, Thomas W. [LIB]
Miller, Annetta [DEM]
Oakford, Kathleen [NLP]

The ballot will also contains Proposals A, B, C, D and E.

Here's the Michigan Daily's opinion of how to vote on the proposals. It provides a breakdown of exactly what voting yes or no on each of them means.

State proposals

Proposal A: Watch out for tricky wording. Michigan has a ban against using bingo proceeds to fund campaigns. This proposal, if passed, would uphold the ban - a no vote would lift the ban. The proposal would keep the change in definition of an organization permitted to sponsor bingo so that churches, for example, may continue, but political entities may not begin to practice.

A "yes" on this ballot question would help keep campaign finance in line. Vote YES on Proposal A.

Proposal B: Currently, judges must be lawyers under 70 years of age to take office. Proposal B would add on a prerequisite five years experience. The state doesn't need judges fresh out of law school. Vote YES on Proposal B.

Proposal C: Ever heard of robbing Peter to pay Paul? Proposal C would prevent the state from raiding the Veteran's Trust Fund to cover general funds. The proposal would establish the fund as its own, and ensure that the trust monies go to veterans and their families. Vote YES on Proposal C.

Proposal D: This proposal would add restrictions to bear hunting - but the restrictions would be imposed from outside of the Department of Natural Resources, which handles all other hunting regulations. Political commercials framed the issue as humans versus bears - but it's really about who has control over hunting regulations. Vote NO on proposal D.

Proposal G: More bears, so bear with ... The proposal regards the management of wildlife populations in Michigan - basically, it delegates the responsibility to the Natural Resource Commission, a part of the DNR. Good plan. Vote YES on proposal G.

Proposal E: This proposal would change current regulations to allow gambling in "qualifying" cities - and the only city that would qualify is Detroit. However, Detroit should look for other sources of revenue.

<> Vote NO on proposal E.

For even more detailed information on the proposals check out the Citizen's Research Council of Michigan.

Don't forget to vote. . .even if the weather's bad.