Ann Arbor has a partisan primary problem.
Decisive August primaries see only about 17% of eligible voters. An average of just 12% of eligible voters choose the winners. In the last 50 races for City Council, the winner of the primary has lost only once.
Of Michigan’s 275 cities, Ann Arbor is one of only two that still hold partisan elections, benefiting politicians, not voters. Voters benefit when the focus is where it belongs—on local issues, local ideas, local options, and local solutions—not party labels. Voters deserve an electoral system that benefits us, not elected officials.
Why do we have partisan city elections now?
Ann Arbor’s partisan elections are an outdated relic of the past. Decades ago, the city had several active political parties, including the two main parties, the Human Rights Party, the Green Party, and the Libertarian Party; three or more partisan candidates would appear on the November ballot. Today, Ann Arbor is a solidly Democratic city and our partisan local election system is no longer relevant. Low-turnout August primaries choose the candidate who almost always appears on the November ballot unopposed. In recent years, a majority of city council twice voted to allow the community to consider nonpartisan election reform.
Twice the mayor vetoed an opportunity for the community to decide.
What exactly are Nonpartisan Elections?
Nonpartisan elections have been a mainstay of progressive municipal government since the late 19th century. Only 7 of the 30 largest US cities continue to hold partisan elections.
Proposal C will end the low-turnout August partisan primary. Instead, all candidates who qualify will appear on the November ballot without a party label.
Nonpartisan elections mean candidates focus on local issues and are more transparent about where they stand on matters that concern voters. While candidates may still seek partisan endorsement, voters will be able to make well-informed decisions and not rely on a party label. Nonpartisan elections will put more candidates before more voters in November. Candidates vetted by more of our community will be more representative of our community.
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We trust our fellow residents to research candidates and that candidates will spend more time listening to voters and explaining their positions on issues. Ann Arbor is one of the best-educated cities in the US. Voters have abundant resources to inform themselves about candidates. Voting records and previous campaign contributions make it very difficult for a candidate to mask their record of political activities and beliefs. Contested November elections will elicit more public engagement and questioning of candidates. There are many other ways that a candidate can demonstrate that their values match those of voters.
The current system encourages candidates to misrepresent their party affiliation. In 2005, two city council candidates who previously had run as Republicans changed their party affiliation for the Democratic primary and were elected to council as Democrats.
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Starting in 2026, Ann Arbor would no longer have August primaries for local offices. All candidates would compete on a November ballot when more voters go to the polls.
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The Coalition for Ann Arbor’s Future is a group of about 150 residents who participate widely and deeply in civic life in Ann Arbor and elsewhere. We serve on PTSOs and volunteer in classrooms. We work to make the arts in our community stronger, volunteering with and supporting the Ann Arbor Art Center, the Michigan Theater, and the University Musical Society. We are environmental activists who have served on the Board of the Huron Valley Group of The Sierra Club, and have been leaders in demanding an end to the pollution of groundwater by industrial contaminants and gravel pit mining. We work to make sustainable, affordable electric power a reality.
We advocate and work for student rights, including the ability of students to have a voice in the city where they study, work, and live. We have established and lead neighborhood associations, and we promote historic preservation. We defend unions and workers’ rights. We worked with the Voters Not Politicians campaign to pass a referendum ending gerrymandering in Michigan. We are members of the League of Women Voters. We volunteer with the Washtenaw prison literacy program. We campaign fiercely for Reproductive Freedom for All and women’s reproductive rights. We have insisted that the under-represented have a voice in our community. We are strong advocates for tenants’ rights and better policy for truly affordable housing. We are a cross-section of Ann Arbor’s civic activists.
Collectively, we represent decades of civic engagement. We share the conviction that our local democracy is stronger when more people participate as voters and candidates and when regular people believe that they have a voice in their government.
Funding for the charter amendment campaigns comes from dozens of city residents, activists, and boosters who believe that our community will benefit from more voter participation and a stronger local democracy.
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Opponents claim nonpartisan elections could lead to vote-splitting that would allow a candidate to win with less than majority support. The risk of vote-splitting is far higher in low-turnout August primaries like we have now. Ann Arbor’s problem is not vote-splitting, it’s no-voting. Primaries that include only 12% of eligible voters determine the election outcome before most voters participate. These low-turnout elections represent the greatest threat to our local participatory democracy.
Help support the effort
This is a movement of Ann Arborites who care about strong democratic participation, good governance, and Ann Arbor’s future. More than 150 volunteer canvassers and active supporters gathered more than 5,800 qualified signatures for each proposal - and we need your support.
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Working together to get this question on the ballot, voters now get to decide.
Proudly endorsed by those who support nonpartisan dialogue and community engagement:
