City Council Dems Primary Results
Unofficial totals have Kunselman, Anglin winning
As The Chronicle receives unofficial vote counts of the city council races in Ward 3 and Ward 5, we’ll publish them. See also the Washtenaw County clerk’s unofficial vote counts.
As of 8:45 p.m., the unofficial final tally from Ward 3, provided from a passed around phone from a noisy Dominick’s, has Kunselman by six votes.
And as of 9:45 p.m., the unofficial results from Ward 5, based on the tally posted on the wall at Anglin’s after-election gathering at the Firefly has him winning by a little less than a 2-1 margin.
WARD 3 Bullington Greden Kunselman Precinct 3-1,3-2 3 20 45 Precinct 3-3 92 160 96 Precinct 3-4,3-7 148 159 137 Precinct 3-5 25 32 23 Precinct 3-6,3-9 64 75 118 Precinct 3-8 47 59 92 Totals 379 505 511 WARD 5 Anglin Rosencrans Precinct 5-1 26 8 Precinct 5-2 174 83 Precinct 5-3 85 56 Precinct 5-4,5-5 288 148 Precinct 5-6 106 69 Precinct 5-7 37 13 Precinct 5-8 63 57 Precinct 5-9 151 88 Precinct 5-10 112 30 Precinct 5-11 259 142 Totals 1301 694
Anglin won big. Vote totals collected at the Firefly Club showed most precincts with a 2-1 edge for Anglin, 3-1 in some precincts. I didn’t get a total because I left before the last precinct came in.
The preliminary precinct tallies for Ward 5 look awfully strange with no reported votes other than 5-2.
Re: “awfully strange” I was at the 5-2 precinct when the machine spit out the tape with the totals, so was able to report that one first hand. Campaigns typically have folks assigned to all the precincts to get the totals, which is how the other results were obtained. That’s why the lag between that precinct and the others for Ward 5.
For readers who wonder what might happen at a recount, if Leigh Greden were to ask for one, here’s some background reading: previous Chronicle coverage of an election recount. My recollection is that some reason must be specified for a recount request, but that it can be as simple as “I think the vote tally is inaccurate.”
Actually the language of the law indicates that to request a recount, you have to state reasons that you consider there might be errors. However, I think in practice they are very lenient as to how that is defined.
I was impressed with the process and the relatively few errors for the recount on my council race. We have a lot of dedicated people working behind the scenes in our electoral system.
Are there absentee ballots for this election?
Matt, yes – absentee ballots have been counted as part of these tallies. Poll workers fed the ballots into the voting machines during the day for each precinct – David saw this in action at the South Quad polling station, for example.
It appears that the 3rd Ward DOES NOT want Mr. Greden, since those who opposed him outnumbers his votes by 385.
Lois, I think the distinction between a vote for someone and voting against someone else in very important.
Our system is set up to vote for someone. There wasn’t a box for “anybody but Greden” on the ballot. If there were to be a run off between Mr. Kunselman and Mr. Greden, it not not guaranteed that Mr. Kunselman would win by a 385 vote margin.
I do not disagree with you on the result, but I think Mr. Kunselman has bridge and relationship building to do. I think he can accomplish quite a bit.
A2C was on the job while my friends and I celebrated the birthday of the POTUS Mr Obama @ Washtenaw Dairy. Thanks for the details of the update of this election.
Congratulations Mike and Steve!
I think it is a sad commentary on voter apathy that only ~1400 people took the time to vote. Less than a 10% turnout? This was most likely the margin that will put into office a very important public officer in a very dire economic time.
The AA Chronicle has done a marvelous job of pointing out numerous-significant issues that will affect Ann Arbor residents more than anything that transpires on a national level with the exception this year of National Health Insurance……WAKE UP ANN ARBORITES!
Congratulations to Mike Anglin and Steve Kunsleman. Their victories are early steps in the long road back to government that actually represents, and responds to, its citizens.
I echo Mr. Nelson, low turnouts are embarrassing. I also go a step beyond him, and observe that when not one of the council seats are contested in the general election, and when only two of five offices have even as much as a primary contest, our political culture remains unhealthy. We often associate uncontested elections and one-party government with places like North Korea -and I bet North Korea has a higher voter turnout than Ann Arbor. As happy as I am about the substance of these two victories, our civic process is still not working as intended. In the end, the quality of our government depends upon the quality of our process.
Election’s over. Take down your yard signs, including those from 2008.
It would be nice to see more voters showing up, because in Ann Arbor the primaries ARE the election.
I voted, but I am fortunate. My polling place is across the street.
I’m in the 4th Ward and didn’t have a choice yesterday. But I will in the November election fortunately. But wish the A2 Democratic Party would have more people running in the August primaries because there is a groundswell of disatisfied voters in this ward who are unhappy with the current rep on council and are looking for a change. Just wish this process could take place within the party without the need for an independent candidate.
A2.com reports turnout was almost double the last off-year primary (2007). In our 5th ward household the candidates’ positions on Argo Dam removal motivated greater turnout. Other thoughts on why turnout increased?
This primary is another good example of why every vote matters – only 6 votes difference between Kunselman and Greden in the 3rd ward. I like the Chronicle’s precinct by precinct breakdown of the vote – Thanks!
Turnout in the 5th increased election to election because of the hard work of grass roots organizers getting out Anglin’s positive message. The same in the 3rd because of Kunselman and Bullington’s supporters, although in that ward they had Greden’s attitude to work with as well.
I agree with the comments of people who were disappointed with the low turnout. Even with people out of town on summer vacations, turnout was appalling.
But, I do find it interesting that people were so happy to see Kunselmen ahead in the race. Are they really calling a slim margin a mandate and do they really see him as somebody who will bring integrity to Council? Do they read? Do they care that he sent his illegal chicken into exile in Dexter after he was elected, then immediately set about pushing his own personal agenda, take up hours of council time, to get her legally back in his yard as soon as he got into office. Kunselmen’s record speaks for itself and is for himself. He’ll say what he needs to say to get elected. It looks like voters have proven once again that they never dig deeper than the knee jerk sound bite of the moment.
oh please. the chicken issue is so ridiculous. I know a family on a major thoroughfare in A2 who have had chickens roaming about their yard for YEARS….OMG!!!!! Who knew??? Call the police!!! blah, blah…whatever. I’m a lot less offended by someone who protects his chickens than I am about a supposed dem who maligns the voters and claims he “only cares about money and buildings.” Not to mention the 100′s of millions of taxpayer dollars wasted by the H-5 in the last few years.
All I hear is sour grapes.
Not opposed to the chickens, just the amount of time taken up discussing it at the council table when there were more important issues to be tackled, that is what I found ridiculous.
So are you saying that the Ann Arbor Democratic agenda is anti-money and anti-building? That doesn’t sound at all like it is either productive or in the City’s best interest.
Too many Democrats on City Council. Aren’t there any moderate Republicans out there who want to run? Any one??? Please!!!
I thought the moderate Republicans were Marcia Higgins and Leigh Greden?
Actually, a moderate Republican, John Floyd, did run in the 5th Ward in 2008. Like all recent Republican candidates, he was swamped by the heavy straight-party voting (we had a Presidential election at the time). Regardless of one’s opinion of the value of a two-party contest, it doesn’t work in Ann Arbor any longer because voters in most general election contests are overwhelmingly Democratic and are focusing on the top of the ticket.
I’m a lifelong Democrat and in California was the president of a Democratic club in an overwhelmingly Republican district, so I know how this feels. But recently I’ve begun to think that it may be time to move on to a nonpartisan system for Council and Mayor. This would be consistent with the practice in most Michigan cities. Candidates could still self-identify with a partisan label and seek their party’s endorsement, but contested races would result in the two top candidates running against each other on the November ballot – on the nonpartisan part of the ticket.
Vivienne – you are correct, he was lost in the wash. I agree with your suggestion of switching to a nonpartisan system. It would probably be chaotic at first, but in the long run I think it would be a good way to go.
Alan – that is why I voted for and continue to support Greden and would vote for Higgins if I was in the ward she represents.
No, the turnout did not nearly double from August, 2007. AnnArbor.com got it wrong. Turnout was up 29% in the Third ward and 20% in the Fifth Ward.
Does anyone know the exact totals in the Third Ward race that the City Board of Canvassers certified on Thursday?
I ran into Stephen Kunselman this morning, who said that the certified results had Bullington picking up two additional votes as compared with the unofficial results, with his own and Leigh Greden’s vote totals remaining the same.