This Photoshopped Election Day reminder is not intended to imply even indirectly a willingness by the University of Michigan athletic department to provide a slot in the marquee’s message rotation for city of Ann Arbor public service announcements.

This year voters in the general election will be confronted with two issues – a city council race and the Ann Arbor Public Schools sinking fund millage. Ann Arbor city council seats have contested races in all five wards, but not all official candidates are on the ballot. Three candidates have filed as write-ins.

Voters in Ward 1 will see three names on the ballot: incumbent Democrat Sabra Briere, independent Jeff Hayner and independent Jacyln Vresics. Vresics has withdrawn from the race, but did not make that decision soon enough to prevent her name from appearing on the ballot.

Voters in Ward 2 will choose between incumbent independent Jane Lumm, Democrat Kirk Westphal and independent Conrad Brown.

In Ward 3, voters will choose between incumbent Democrat Stephen Kunselman and independent Sam DeVarti.

Ward 4 Democratic primary winner Jack Eaton, who prevailed against incumbent Democrat Marcia Higgins, does not face an opponent on the ballot. However, William Lockwood has filed as a write-in candidate for Ward 4.

Incumbent Democrat Mike Anglin was unchallenged in the Ward 5 primary, and does not have an opponent on the ballot for the general election. However, Thomas Partridge and Chip Smith are declared write-in candidates.

Not sure where to vote? To find your polling place and view a sample ballot for your precinct, visit the Secretary of State’s website.

Check back here throughout the day for briefs filed from the field, or add a comment with your own Election Day observations.

7:15 a.m. Ward 5, Precinct 2 (Bach School, 600 W. Jefferson St.): I was the fourth voter at this precinct just after the polls opened. First in line was declared write-in candidate Chip Smith. “I don’t mind being the experimental one,” he tells the poll workers.

No American flag is posted here, but one of the workers is wearing an American flag sweater. Done with the initial rush of a half-dozen voters, one poll worker remarks: “Well! I wonder if that’s it!” They sort out the schedule of lunch and dinner breaks and settle in for the wait. [Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., so including the work of closing down the polls they'll have a 14-hour day or longer.]

As I’m leaving, I run into Mike Anglin. I tell him that Chip Smith was already here, so Smith could be ahead of him. Anglin’s comeback: “For a time!”

7:48 a.m. Ward 5, Precinct 4 & 5 (Slauson Middle School, 1019 W. Washington St.): A volunteer for Chip Smith’s write-in campaign is outside handing out literature. Twenty voters have come through so far, the poll workers say. One of the poll workers owns Davies House Inn, a bed-and-breakfast, so she has brought large coffee dispensers for her colleagues.

7:54 a.m. Ward 1, Precinct 9 and Ward 2, Precinct 6 (Clague Middle School, 2616 Nixon Rd.): This polling station is combined with precincts from both Ward 1 and Ward 2, so there are signs for both races leading up to the school. Only one campaign – for Kirk Westphal – has volunteers outside, however. One of the volunteers is state Rep. Adam Zemke. He looks cold. Inside, poll workers report there’s been about 20 voters through so far, at a nice pace. Several more show up as we talk. “Tell people to come on out!” one worker says.

8:08 a.m. Ward 5, Precinct 6 (Eberwhite School, 800 Soule Blvd.): The American flag at this precinct is a tabletop version next to the poll workers. The polls here are in the multi-purpose room, which includes a stage with what looks like a set for a current production. Off to the side is some kind of giant sea creature. A poll worker ventures that the paper mâché monster has the tail of an alligator. They’re on voter number 22. A cyclist with a full-on road cycling kit (including shoes not designed for walking) is one of those voters.

8:16 a.m. Ward 2, Precinct 9 (Thurston School, 2300 Prairie St.): Volunteers for both Lumm and Westphal are standing outside Thurston. Don Salberg, who’s volunteering for Lumm and wears one of her campaign stickers on his hat, bemoans the low turnout – for this election, and in general, given the education level of this community. Poll workers report that nearly 30 voters have passed through. They say they’ll be surprised if the turnout here is much higher than 200 or so.

8:44 a.m. Ward 4 & 5, Precinct 7 (Dicken School, 2135 Runnymede Blvd.): South on Seventh Street and west on Stadium Boulevard, the route includes a few homemade Twenty Pound Carp signs. XX# [fish symbol] No signs for the carp are here at Dicken Elementary, however – a possible case of intimidation by another creature of the water. [School mascot: Dolphins] First question to all voters here: Ward 4 or Ward 5? Some don’t know. In response to that question, one voter describes the line he was in at the last presidential election. The same poll workers don’t necessarily work the same precincts in each election, so that piece of information doesn’t answer the question. They sort it out based on his address and the map posted on the wall.

9:04 a.m. Ward 2, Precinct 8 (First United Methodist Church 1001 Green Rd.): The only volunteer here is a candidate – Kirk Westphal, with his bike leaning up against a tree. He lives nearby, but plans to bike over to another polling station after the morning “rush.” About 50 voters have passed through this morning, including Jim Blow, who hosts an interview show on Community Television Network. A poll worker greets a voter by saying “Welcome to the new location!” This is the first election that First United Methodist has been used as a polling station, after St. Paul Lutheran School decided not to continue offering its space for that purpose. The floor-to-ceiling windows here overlook a wooded area – it’s a beautiful setting. Poll workers have duct-taped an American flag to one of the windows, after discovering that the tape wouldn’t stick to the cinder block walls. Poll workers report there are no spoiled ballots so far.

9:08 a.m. Ward 4, Precinct 9 (Lawton School, 2550 S. Seventh St.): Official, manufactured yard signs for Twenty Pound Carp are placed here along with some for Jack Eaton. Not overheard: “As fish go, a carp makes pretty good Eaton.” No signs for declared Ward 4 write-in William Lockwood. A voter on exiting tells the poll workers, “Thanks, guys, for doing this.” Voter count so far: 40.

9:36 a.m. Ward 2, Precinct 7 (King School, 3800 Waldenwood Lane): Voter No. 75 walks in the door. Poll workers comment on how cold it is in this multi-purpose room. One of them is knitting – maybe a scarf to help keep her warm later in the day. “My hand’s so cold I can’t hold on to the ballot,” one jokes. Another worker takes a quick jog around the room during a break to help her circulation. Someone spots a deer walking along the edge of the playground and everyone – poll workers, voters and me – rush over to the windows. It looks like a four-point buck. “That’s probably the most excitement we’ll have today,” one of the workers quips.

9:40 a.m. Ward 4, Precinct 4 & 8 (Pioneer High School, 601 W. Stadium Blvd.): This polling place has posted prominently at the entrance standard instructions on cell phones and cameras in the voting area – they’re not allowed. Also an admonishment to the press: No interviews of voters allowed inside the polling place. So far 62 voters have cast their ballots at this combined precinct.

10:03 a.m. Ward 1, Precinct 4 (Community Center, 625 N. Main St.): So far 26 people have voted. Poll worker says she’s pleased about that. She says that last election she was assigned to St. Paul’s up in Ward 2, Precinct 8, which has changed locations to the First United Methodist Church.

10:14 a.m. Ward 3, Precinct 6 & 9 (Scarlett Middle School, 3300 Lorraine St.): Very quiet here, even though this polling station has combined precincts. Only about 40 voters so far. There are signs up for both candidates – Kunselman and DeVarti – but no volunteers in site.

10:42 a.m. Ward 1, Precinct 3 (Community High School, 401 N. Division St.): The polls are set up in the auditorium. It’s dark and cold. Lots of light is coming through the windows, but it’s still pretty dim inside. Poll workers are worried about light levels after the sun sets. One poll worker notes that her granddaughter was born on Election Day last year, so she’s now a year old. They’ve had six voters so far. Voter now interacting with poll workers about her registration. She voted at this precinct at last election, she says. They’re not finding her name – she tells them she’s changed her address since last election, but still lives in the same precinct. She’s not in the electronic poll book. A call is made to the city clerk’s office. She’s not able to vote except by provisional ballot, because she’s registered in another Michigan city. Voter ventures that the snafu resulted from being issued a new ID after she turned 21. Looks like she’ll try with a provisional ballot, but it might not count. That will ultimately be up to the board of canvassers. Update: She decided not to try with provisional ballot, given that it’d most likely be disallowed. She did fill out a new registration, though, so that she can vote here next time.

11:19 a.m. En route: The route from the Community High School precinct location to the Ann Arbor District Library takes me past city hall, where some members of the homeless community set up an encampment of tents on the steel walkway that leads from the sidewalk into the building. A man named Tim, who’s organizing the group, reports that AAPD officers dismantled the tents a short time ago. The group is still on the sidewalk holding signs demonstrating. One sign says, “Houses Not Handcuffs.” They’re trying to draw attention to what they say is the AAPD strategy for dealing with the homeless – rousting them out of their encampments without any direction about where they should go instead. The result is that AAPD chases the homeless from one encampment to the next. Tim says he’s met with city administrator Steve Powers, but Tim indicates skepticism about any outcome from that conversation.

11:24 a.m. Ward 5, Precinct 1 (Ann Arbor District Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave.): The rule against cell phones and camera usage in the voting area appears to be a point of emphasis this year. A poll worker places a call to the city clerk’s office to ask if press can sit in the public area with a laptop computer open. The answer appears to be yes. Poll workers report that 27 people have voted so far. A poll worker identifies a just-departed voter as Piotr Michalowski, who was a professor of hers.

11:30 a.m. Ward 5, Precinct 11 (Forsythe Middle School, 1655 Newport Rd.): Signs for both Mike Anglin and Chip Smith here, but again no volunteers from either campaign. Voter count so far is 117. Poll workers report a minor computer glitch this morning: Their password had been incorrectly entered, so there was some last minute scrambling before the poll opened, about 2-3 minutes late. All has gone smoothly since then, they report, and IT staff has been helpful. One poll worker talks to another one about a solar cooperative project he’s working on in the Water Hill neighborhood. John Floyd walks. He’d been working for Lumm’s campaign in Ward 2 earlier this morning, where he says he met candidate Conrad Brown dropping off signs.

12:01 p.m. Ward 1, Precinct 8 (Skyline High School, 2552 N. Maple Rd.): Because of the anticipated lower turnout, poll workers are set up in the downstairs lobby, rather than the much larger second-floor cafeteria, where the polling station usually is. Voter No. 105 is Eli Neiburger, associate director of the Ann Arbor District Library, who expresses some disappointment that there are no campaign signs here for the Twenty Pound Carp.

12:30 p.m. Ward 5, Precinct 10 (Abbot School, 2670 Sequoia Parkway) Signs are posted in the entry lobby for a different kind of election: student council. My favorite: “Don’t be silly, vote for Lily.” The poll workers are wearing their winter coats because a ceiling fan is blowing straight at them. Forms are weighted down to prevent them from blowing off the table. So far, 103 voters have passed through.

12:51 p.m. Ward 3, Precinct 1 & 2 (Michigan League, 911 N. University Avenue): On the way through downtown to the Michigan League I encounter Mixed Use Party organizer Will Leaf. Leaf says he’s taking a break from flyering. He’s measuring success by increasing voter turnout in student districts. He recalls one precinct last time around that had only three voters. Here at the Michigan League 37 voters have cast ballots so far. A Michigan Daily reporter is interviewing a voter who has emerged from the voting area. The registration tables are set up in the main hallway, along with the precinct maps, so there’s not a lot of signage required to figure out where to vote.

1:04 p.m. Ward 5, Precinct 9 (Haisley School, 825 Duncan St.): This polling station is located in a school off of Miller Avenue, which is being reconstructed and allows vehicles to travel in only one direction – eastbound. So navigating to the school is a bit challenging. No voters are here now, but the count stands at 136. Two poll workers give advice on taking different routes through the neighborhood, to avoid Miller. One of the suggestions would involve taking my scooter on a pedestrian path – not really an option.

1:11 p.m. Ward 2, Precinct 2 (Palmer Commons, 100 Washtenaw Avenue): Entering through the south entrance there’s a dearth of signage. Asking a young professor type coming off the elevator yields impeccable manners and spot-on directions. There’s a dispenser for “wet umbrella bags” at the entrance. At the polling place, workers report that three people have voted so far. That’s a pace of well under one per hour. What makes it exciting for them, though, is the fact that two out of the three were first-time voters. Another person arrives: “Hi, is this where voting occurs?” This is number four. And a minute later, before number four is done, here’s number five.

1:32 p.m. Ward 2, Precinct 3 & 4 (Angell School, 1608 S. University Ave.): Turning left off southbound Washtenaw Avenue into the school entrance down the lane is a bit of a traffic navigation challenge, but counts as another bicyclist-motorist interaction that did not end with cussing, epithets or angry honks. Voter emerging from polling station says 195 people have voted so far. She thinks a lot of people will have voted by absentee ballot in this part of the city – for Jane Lumm, she hopes. She’s walking a mile home on what she describes as a lovely day to do that.

1:57 p.m. Ward 1, Precinct 1 & 2 and Ward 4, Precinct 1 (Michigan Union, 530 S. State St.): Poll workers report that they’ve had 18 voters so far but are quick to point out that’s a total over three precincts. An “opening soon” sign for au bon pain stands at the end of the hallway where the polls are located. It incorporates photos of food, including a chocolate cupcake with white icing. Poll workers are killing the time talking about various programs they volunteer with: SafeHouse and Warm the Children.

2:01 p.m. Ward 1, Precinct 10 (Arrowwood Hills Community Center, 2566 Arrowwood Tr.) Precinct chair John Wiseman tells me that this is a “full-service precinct,” then offers me a donut. They’re about halfway through the day, with around 150 voters. Wiseman hopes they’ll hit 300. He notes that all four poll workers are regulars here – they usually work at this polling station. They all live in Ward 2. We chat about nonpartisan elections, which they’re in favor of.

2:28 p.m. Ward 4, Precinct 2 (Mary Street Polling Place, 926 Mary St.): So far 19 voters have cast their ballots here. A generation difference among poll workers leads to a difference of opinion on the topic of: How to hold a pen. Conversation turns to the Winter Classic hockey game on Jan. 1, 2014. It’s described as a “liquor-fueled NHL hockey game.” They think that traffic will be more of a challenge than college football games, because there will be a lot of out-of-town visitors who don’t have any idea where to park – unlike UM football fans who have a regular, familiar routine. As one poll worker goes on break, he exits the building with an offer to his colleagues: “Anything anybody needs from the outside world?”

Just before packing up, Brendan from the city’s IT department drops by. This is the third time I’ve encountered him today – also at Bach Elementary and at Dicken Elementary. He’s circulating to 13 different locations to check on the IT components (electronic poll books). Poll worker volunteers that parking on the street – in the three spaces forming the loading zone in front of the building – is 30 minutes, but while voting only. Poll worker recalls the one year that Al Jazeera sent a reporter to cover the election by visiting this precinct.

2:35 p.m. Ward 1, Precinct 5 & 6 (Northside School, 912 Barton Drive) The school mascot – Polar Bears – is apt for the temperature here. There aren’t any voters when I show up, but after a lull there’s a mini-rush of four people to bring the day’s total to 155. A couple of men express surprise that they have to provide photo IDs or sign an affidavit. One of them calls it “more voter suppression” but he shows the ID. A poll worker notes that everyone has different opinions about it, but it’s the law. A child leaving the polling station with his mother reads the “I Voted” sticker. “What’s it mean?” he asks. The explanation offered involves choosing what you want.

2:58 p.m. Ward 4, Precinct 5 (St. Clare/Temple Beth Emeth, 2309 Packard Rd.): Poll workers say they’re not sure what was projected as far as turnout, but they’re happy with the 83 who’ve come through so far. Voter 84 arrives, votes, departs. Voters 85 and 86 have now arrived. And now 87. From arriving to exiting out the door, voter 85 took 4 minutes 25 seconds. It’s a short ballot.

3:17 p.m. Ward 1, Precinct 7 (Pierpont Commons, 2101 Bonisteel Boulevard) When asked how many people have voted, a poll worker says, “Here’s Miss 12!” The young woman gives a pageant wave and quips “My float will be circulating the building!” One of the previous 11 was a first-time voter, and a photo was taken of her on her cell phone standing by the vote tabulator. The polling station is the best smelling so far, located in the commons near Panda Express.

3:35 p.m. Ward 4, Precinct 6 (Cobblestone Farm, 2781 Packard): Here at Cobblestone Farm, signs indicate the farmers market today starts at 4 p.m. a short while from now. An email from Stephen Kunselman reports that he’s at Slauson Middle School collecting signatures for his mayoral election bid in 2014. In light of conversation at Mary Street polling location, it’s a fair question: Are Kunselman petition signers holding their pens correctly? Voter count at Cobblestone Farm is 144. Another voter arrives and wrecks the perfect square. A voter seeks clarification that if she votes yes on the Ann Arbor Public Schools proposal, that means she is supporting the sinking fund. That’s right.

3:49 p.m. Ward 2, Precinct 1 (Family Housing Comm. Center, 1000 McIntyre Dr.): Walking in with me is a city IT worker, who’s just checking to make sure all’s well with the electronic poll book. They’ve had 77 voters so far today, with about another 100 absentee ballots for this precinct. One of the poll workers is Eleanor Linn, who tells me she’ll be attending tomorrow night’s planning commission meeting because downtown zoning revisions are on the agenda. One of the candidates for city council in this precinct, Kirk Westphal, is chair of the planning commission – but neither of us mention that. We look at the precinct map on the wall to get a sense of where the majority of voters might be coming from. In addition to campus housing, there’s a small neighborhood on the west side of Green Road, north of Glazier Way.

4:15 p.m. Ward 3, Precinct 4 & 7 (Allen School, 2560 Towner Blvd.): Poll worker Pete Schermerhorn says that 337 people have voted so far. [Schermerhorn ran for city council against Stephen Kunselman in 2006 as the Green Party candidate and polled 16% of the vote.]

4:28 p.m. Ward 3, Precinct 8 (Pittsfield School, 2543 Pittsfield Blvd.) Walking into the school, I see a notice for the online Pittsfield Press – competition! Inside the polling station there are no voters now, but the tally for the day is 190 with about four hours to go. As is the case with almost all poll workers I encounter, this group is really friendly. They start telling me jokes, but only clean ones. Here’s the best: A couple of reporters are traveling through the country and see a farmer standing next to an apple tree holding up a pig. They stop and watch as the pig eats an apple from the tree. Then the farmer picks up another pig, who eats an apple from the tree. Curious, the reporters go over to the farmer and ask what he’s doing. “Feeding my pigs,” the farmer replies. “Doesn’t that take a long time?” the reporters ask. The farmer looks at them and shrugs: “What’s time to a pig?”

5:05 p.m. Ward 2, Precinct 5 (Ann Arbor Assembly of God, 2455 Washtenaw Ave.): The church has provided bottled water and snacks to poll workers, who’ve had about 355 voters pass through as of nearly 5 p.m. I’m there for about 5 minutes with no voters in sight, then a half dozen people walk in – perhaps the start of the post-work rush. One of the voters is Tim Petersen, but he comes without his wife Sally Petersen, a Ward 2 city councilmember. She was first elected in 2012 to a two-year term, so she’s not on the ballot today.

5:27 p.m. Ward 3, Precinct 3 (Tappan Middle School, 2551 E. Stadium Blvd.) Poll workers were proud of their 305 voter total half an hour ago. Since then about 30 more have voted. Among the notables: Jeff Meyers, Kathryn Goodson, Glenn Nelson, Bob Schoeni

And that wraps up the tour for this year. The polls close at 8 p.m. The earliest results could be available within a half hour or so after the polls close. We’ll publish initial, unofficial results – based on voting machine tapes generated at the close of polls – in the Civic News Ticker. The Washtenaw County clerk’s website for election results will also have unofficial tallies. It will also include a beta version of a mapped view of results.

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Dots correspond to addresses that made contributions to Ann Arbor city council candidates for the Nov. 5, 2013 election.

Lumm’s fundraising effort during the pre-election phase exceeded her total from 2011 when she contested the general election with incumbent Democrat Stephen Rapundalo. That year she raised $18,950 from 193 donors.

The third Ward 2 candidate, Conrad Brown, filed a reporting waiver, which is allowed if a candidate does not expect to raise more than $1,000.

Ward 1 incumbent Democrat Sabra Briere raised $11,800 in a race where she’s challenged by independent Jeff Hayner, who has raised $2,680 so far.

In Ward 3, incumbent Democrat Stephen Kunselman, who survived a tough primary race with Julie Grand, did not raise any additional money during this most recent filing period. Kunselman’s independent challenger Sam DeVarti raised $945.

In Ward 5, Mike Anglin does not have an opponent on the ballot, but raised $4,299 in this most recent period. He’s spent $1,340 of that. In addition to Thomas Partridge, who declared his write-in candidacy much earlier in the year, Charles “Chip” Smith has just recently filed his paperwork to declare a write-in candidacy for the Ward 5 seat that’s up for election this year. Responding to an emailed query, Smith said he will try to keep his expenditures under the reporting-waiver limit of $1,000.

In Ward 4, Jack Eaton does not face any opponents on Nov. 5 on the ballot or as write-ins, but does have a write-in opponent in William Lockwood. Eaton won the Democratic primary against incumbent Democrat Marcia Higgins.

The Ann Arbor city council includes a total of 11 members – two from each of the city’s five wards and the mayor. All city council positions are elected for two-year terms, with one of the wards’s seats up for election every year. The position of mayor is elected in even years, so not this year.

The filings, which were due on Oct. 25, are available through the Washtenaw County clerk’s searchable campaign finance database. Charts and maps by The Chronicle are presented after the jump.

Charts

A pattern for winning city council campaigns over the last few election cycles has been a skew toward more numerous but lower dollar amount contributions. For this pre-election period, Mike Anglin in Ward 5 had the lowest average at $64 per donor, with Kirk Westphal in Ward 2 coming in at $133 – or more than double Anglin’s average.

Jeff Hayner: Contributions to 2013 Ward 1 city council campaign. Hayner has raised $2,680, averaging $96 per donor, with a median of $50 for 28 donors. He’s spent $841 so far.

Sabra Briere: Contributions to 2013 Ward 1 city council campaign. Briere raised a total of $11,800, averaging $118 per donor and a median of $100 among 100 donors. So far she’s spent $6,864 including $1,000 for Brad O’Connor as a campaign manager. O’Connor managed Carol Kuhnke’s successful 22nd circuit court judge campaign as well as Adam Zemke’s 55th District state representative campaign.

Jane Lumm: Contributions to 2013 Ward 2 city council campaign. Lumm raised $20,875, averaging $102 per donor, with a median of $100 for 204 donors. She has spent $11,664 so far.

Kirk Westphal: Contributions to 2013 Ward 2 city council campaign. Westphal raised $10,103, averaging $133 per donor with a median of $100 among 76 donors. He has spent $4,614 so far.

Mike Anglin: Contributions to 2013 Ward 2 city council campaign. Anglin has raised $4,299, averaging $64 per donor with a median of $50 among 67 donors. He has spent $1,340 so far.

Maps

The 2013 general election filings continue the trend of Ann Arbor city council candidates showing considerable citywide support, in addition to having support in their own wards.

Jeff Hayner: Yellow dots correspond to addresses making contributions to his 2013 Ward 1 campaign.

Sabra Briere: Black dots correspond to addresses making contributions to her 2013 Ward 1 campaign.

Jane Lumm: Green dots correspond to addresses making contributions to her 2013 Ward 2 campaign.

Kirk Westphal: Purple dots correspond to addresses making contributions to his 2013 Ward 2 campaign.

Mike Anglin: Red dots correspond to addresses making contributions to his 2013 Ward 5 campaign.

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The deadline for filing a declaration of write-in candidacy is Oct. 25. Responding to an emailed query from The Chronicle, Smith indicated he plans to file the necessary paperwork this afternoon, on Oct. 24.

Smith is a municipal planner in Wade Trim’s environmental design and planning group. He holds a masters degree in landscape architecture from the University of Michigan. [More background on ArborWiki]

Already filed as a write-in candidate for Ward 5 is Thomas Partridge. The only candidate on the ballot for Ward 5 is Democratic incumbent Mike Anglin, who is seeking to serve his fourth two-year term on the council since he was first elected in 2007.

On the ballot for Ann Arbor residents are two items: (1) city council races; and (2) continuation of the Ann Arbor Public Schools sinking fund millage.

A precise breakdown of absentee ballots by ward is difficult, because some of the combined precincts in the election cross wards. However, at least 380 of the first wave of ballots will be sent to residents of Ward 2, which will be a carefully watched race. That’s a contest between independent incumbent Jane Lumm, Democratic challenger Kirk Westphal, and independent challenger Conrad Brown.

Two years ago, in the 2011 Ward 2 race between Democrat Stephen Rapundalo and independent Jane Lumm, 731 absentee ballots were cast. Lumm received about 63% of those absentee votes, which was about three points better than she did overall in prevailing.

The last day to register to vote in the Nov. 5 election is Monday, October 7, 2013. Information on how to do that is available on the city clerk’s website. Information on how to request an absentee ballot is available on the same website.

The local League of Women Voters is again this year hosting candidate forums. They’ll be broadcast live on Community Television Network’s Channel 19, which is also streamed live over the Internet. [Channel 19 live stream] The schedule for those debates:

• Oct. 1, 2013 at 7 p.m. Ward 3: Stephen Kunselman (incumbent Democrat); Sam DeVarti (independent).
• Oct. 1, 2013 at 8 p.m. Ward 5: Mike Anglin (incumbent Democrat); Thomas Partridge (declared write-in).
• Oct. 2, 2013 at 7 p.m. Ward 1: Sabra Briere (incumbent Democrat); Jeff Hayner (independent); Jaclyn Vresics (independent). [Vresics has announced that she's withdrawn from the race, but she did so too late to prevent her name from appearing on the ballot.]
• Oct. 2, 2013 at 8 p.m. Ward 2: Jane Lumm (incumbent independent); Conrad Brown (independent); Kirk Westphal (Democrat).

Democrat Jack Eaton, who prevailed over incumbent Marcia Higgins in the August primary, is not opposed in Ward 4.

Vresics had qualified for the ballot by submitting more than the 100 required nominating signatures by the Aug. 7 deadline. However, the deadline for withdrawing formally from the race has passed, according to city clerk Jackie Beaudry.

According to Secretary of State documents the deadline to withdraw is Aug. 12, 2013, or three business days after the Aug. 7 filing deadline. So her name will still appear on the Nov. 5, 2013 ballot. [.pdf of Secretary of State election deadlines]

In a statement Leaf conveyed in his email, Vresics stated: “Although personal reasons require that I withdraw from the election, the Mixed Use Party has my unwavering support. I have full confidence in Conrad [Brown] and Sam [DeVarti] as candidates, and I maintain my belief that the party’s platform will bring much needed and beneficial change to Ann Arbor.”

That will leave incumbent Democrat Sabra Briere and independent Jeff Hayner as the two remaining candidates who will be actively campaigning to represent Ward 1.

The two men mentioned in the statement relayed by Leaf – Conrad Brown and Sam DeVarti – are Mixed Use Party affiliates who are contesting Ann Arbor city council races in Ward 2 and Ward 3 respectively. Along with Brown, the Ward 2 race features incumbent independent Jane Lumm and Democrat Kirk Westphal, who was unopposed in the August primary. DeVarti is competing to represent Ward 3 with incumbent Democrat Stephen Kunselman, who prevailed in the August primary against Julie Grand.

Kunselman’s win was relatively narrow compared to the 29-point spread in the Ward 4 race between Jack Eaton and incumbent Marcia Higgins. That margin translated into 559 more votes for Eaton.

Results map. Ward 4 precincts won by Eaton are in blue shaded by strength of support. Precincts won by Higgins are in red. Ward 3 precincts won by Kunselman are in purple, shaded by strength of support. Precincts won by Grand are in green.

Totals and percents in Ward 3: Kunselman received 927 votes (51.8%) and Grand received 862 votes (48.2%).

Totals and percents in Ward 4: Eaton received 1,233 votes (64.6%) and Higgins received 674 votes (35.3%).

Complete unofficial results with various cuts of the data are available on the Washtenaw County clerk’s election results website.

Voter turnout was 9.24% in Ward 3 and 9.58% in Ward 4.

Of the city’s five wards, those were the only two primaries that were contested. No Republican candidates filed this year. The council consists of two representatives from each ward plus the mayor for a total of 11 members. Councilmembers serve two-year terms, so every year one of the seats is up for election. This is not a mayoral election year.

With Kunselman’s victory in the primary, it sets up the possibility of a Democratic primary race in 2014 between the sitting councilmember Kunselman and incumbent mayor John Hieftje. Kunselman has said that if Hieftje seeks an eighth term, he’d run against him.

But Kunselman will need to get past the Nov. 5 general election in Ward 3, when he’ll face independent Sam DeVarti. DeVarti is a UM student, and son of long-time Kunselman supporter Dave DeVarti – who’s a former councilmember and former Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority board member. Add in the fact that Kunselman’s wife Letitia and the younger DeVarti are co-workers at the Northside Grill and it points to a campaign that’s more likely to be waged on respectful than on bitter terms.

Other races now basically set for the fall include possibly a three-way race between incumbent Ward 1 Democrat Sabra Briere and independents Jeff Hayner and Jaclyn Vresics. As of the end of the day on Aug. 6, the city clerk was still in the process of verifying signatures for Vresics in advance of the Aug. 7 deadline.

In Ward 2, incumbent independent Jane Lumm will face challenges from Democrat Kirk Westphal (who was unopposed in the Aug. 6 primary) and independent Conrad Brown. Of the city council races in the fall, the Ward 2 race is likely to draw the most interest citywide.

In Ward 4, Eaton will almost certainly not face a challenger on November’s ballot. In Ward 5, incumbent Democrat Mike Anglin will likely be the only choice presented to voters.

In this report we provide some additional detail on the Ward 3 and Ward 4 primary result maps.

Ward 3

Kunselman’s 65-vote margin in Ward 3 is comparable to the 58-vote spread between Carsten Hohnke and Vivienne Armentrout in the 2008 Ward 5 Democratic primary. That resulted in a recount, which confirmed Hohnke’s win.

In Ward 3, Grand prevailed in two precincts. Grand’s 109-vote plurality in her own Burns Park neighborhood Precinct 3-3 provided some possibility that it would be a big enough buffer to prevail overall. There she had 313 (60.5%) votes to Kunselman’s 204 (39.5%). But the other precinct she won, Precinct 3-5, provided just 18 additional votes over Kunselman. In the 2008 primary, when Christopher Taylor prevailed against Kunselman, the Burns Park Precinct 3-3 – where Taylor and Grand live only a block apart – delivered an 80% Taylor spread (487-114).

Percentages in the Ward 3 map caption have been corrected from initial publication.

Ward 4

The first results to be reported out of Ward 4 came from Precincts 4-4 and 4-8 – just 10 minutes after the polls closed. Based on Eaton’s performance in the 2010 and 2012 primaries, which he contested unsuccessfully against Margie Teall, those combined precincts should have gone to Higgins, if she was to have any chance of winning. So from the 172-123 margin Eaton had there, it was already apparent that Eaton had won. The only question was by how much.

Now Eaton is likely to join Teall at the council table.

In the one precinct where Higgins prevailed, Precinct 4-1, only four people voted. So the two-vote plurality she achieved there did not come close to offsetting the clear majorities Eaton won across the ward. Eaton’s decisive victories near his own neighborhood in Precincts 4-7 and 4-9 were somewhat expected. But he also edged out Higgins in the Lower Burns Park Precinct 4-3, where Higgins would have been expected to show some strength.

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