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Petition drive seeks to let voters decide whether to end partisan elections in Ann Arbor
89.1 WEMU | By Taylor Bowie | Published May 30, 2024 at 5:42 AM EDT
John Godfrey is a member of the coalition. He says ending partisan elections for races, like Mayor and City Council, encourages voters to research candidates' previous affiliations in advance of election day.
“This means that voters are more likely to evaluate a candidate based on their experience, qualifications and position on local issues, rather than simply party affiliation.”
Godfrey says the petition item would also eliminate the August primary for city positions, which historically suffers from low voter turnout.