Welcome back. I’m still Malachi Barrett.
It was a rainy Election Day in Detroit, but voters didn’t let a little moisture stop them from casting ballots in the Aug. 6 primary.
Tuesday’s primary races included contests for the Republican and Democratic nomination to run for office in November, alongside nonpartisan judge seats and ballot initiatives to fund libraries and parks.
I’m filing this report late Tuesday night as Detroit’s votes are still being tallied. The clerk’s office expects turnout will land between 15% and 17% when all votes are in. Turnout in the 2022 election was 15% with 77,749 total votes cast.
Check back with us today for more information about how Detroit voted or see more reporting from Bridge Michigan on statewide election results.
I spent most of the day visiting polling locations on Detroit’s eastside, talking with voters about what brought them out to the polls. Keep reading to learn more about what Detroiters said.
Ralph Harris, 54, said there’s a lot riding on elections this year. He said politicians are driven by the pursuit of power and seem less focused on helping people.
We talked about his feelings on the U.S. Senate race, where Detroit businessman and actor Hill Harper ran against U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, for the Democratic nomination. The Associated Press called the race for Slotkin early Tuesday night, setting up a contest against Republican Mike Rogers in November.
Harris said he wasn’t sure about Harper, calling him a “TV star” that hadn’t made much of an impression on him. Harris voted for Slotkin.
“Slotkin has been in the political arena for a nice little while,” Harris said. “Hill Harper thinks his celebrity status is going to get him in, but what have you done for the people? You’ve been in Hollywood. She’s been in the trenches putting in the groundwork for the Democrats.”
Harris said Slotkin’s focus on reducing prescription drug prices is an important issue for seniors in Detroit.
“I have older parents, if they can’t afford their medications, they’re going to die,” Harris said.
Harris also voted to nominate U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit, for the 13th Congressional District. Harris said Thanedar, who is running for a second term, is a familiar face and is “doing his part” to help Detroiters.
Harris said he lacked faith in City Council Member Mary Waters, who was targeted by attack ads that focused on her 2010 guilty plea for filing a fraudulent tax return in connection to an alleged bribery conspiracy.
“She made a mistake, she admitted it, but I figure it’s like this: If you did it once, you’ll do it again,” Harris said. “I question her integrity. What are you going to do when you get into office, are you going to be another Kwame? She got caught with her hand in the cookie jar.”
Stephanie Bond said she always votes in elections, but was planning to sit out over frustrations with her choices for president in the November election. When Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket, Bond said she reevaluated local races and decided to vote on Tuesday.
Bond said she had trouble picking candidates. She typically supports Black candidates, but decided to vote for Thanedar, an Indian American immigrant. Bond said Waters’ past scandal made it impossible to support her.
“Unfortunately the mistake she made gives me pause for everything else she does,” Bond said.
Greg Thom, 72, said America would be in a better place if people participated in elections. That means voting and researching candidates.
Thom said Harper is a smart man and “excellent” candidate for U.S. Senate but lacks experience. Thom voted to Slotkin, saying her work in Congress gave her an edge.
Thom said Waters has also been a solid representative on Detroit’s City Council but felt that Thanedar has been more present in the district. Thom joined telephone town halls Thanedar hosted and said the events are a “testament that he’s so connected.”
Ballot proposals to renew millages that fund the Detroit Public Library and Wayne County parks were a much easier decision, he said. Thom supported both Proposal L and Proposal P.
“I don’t mind if they’re asking for money, especially for libraries and parks,” Thom said.
Elbert Henderson, 81, says he always exercises his right to vote.
“I’ve paid taxes, I’m as much a part of this system as anybody else,” Henderson said.
Henderson said he backed Harper for Senate but didn’t expect him to win. Henderson also talked about the importance of feeling connected to his political representatives. He’s never seen Slotkin in person but said Harper has been available.
“I’ve shook his hand on several occasions,” Henderson said. “That means a lot.”
Henderson supported Waters in the 13th District race, but felt she had a low chance of winning. He said Waters hasn’t appeared to be actively campaigning, but was willing to forgive her past transgressions.
“We’ve all made mistakes in our dealings, that doesn’t mean she’s not a good person and she isn’t diligent about doing the job she’s chosen to do,” Henderson said. “She is mature enough to know that people elected her to do a job.”
Tyshawnna Black, 34, said she’s never voted for a candidate who lost, but that apparently changed when the U.S. Senate primary was called for Slotkin.
Black cast her ballot after work, an hour before polls closed Tuesday night. She’s been trying to convince friends and family to vote in elections this year.
“You don’t have to be into politics to vote,” Black said. “Don’t complain about what’s going on around her and you didn’t do anything to try and fix it. This election is going to lead up to November, we need this now.”
Black said women in her life need less convincing. She remarked on how most of the people she saw voting at Mt. Zion Baptist Church were women.
“Women are just smarter,” she said.
“I had a friend who asked me why I’m doing it, I’m gonna waste my gas. My polling place is close, It took me 10 minutes. You’re just being a douchebag about it.”
Black said she supported Harper because he is authentically a force for good in the community. Black said she’s seen Harper pass out food at a grocery store without calling TV stations to capture it.
Black supported Waters for Congress, calling her honest and unafraid to stand her ground. She also voted for millage proposals for the Detroit Public Library and Wayne County parks, though she would like to see more funding go toward recreation centers.
“I’m always down for that,” Black said. “We’re always going to need a library no matter what.”
LaDuana Allen, 49, said she votes because Black women were historically kept from having a voice in elections. She thinks young people have taken that right for granted.
“We don’t press (young people) to understand politics and why it’s important to the community,” Allen said. “Even if your politician doesn’t win, it does count. One day the politician you vote for maybe will win, they will make change and benefit people that need it.”
Allen declined to say who she voted for, but said she wants to see politicians address homelessness, poverty, gun violence and drug abuse.
“To me, it’s not getting better,” she said. “You lock people up but you’re not making an impact.”
Kathryn Wilson, 64, said it doesn’t matter if she likes the candidates in front of her – she’s voting all the same.
“You can’t complain about what’s happening in the world if you’re not doing your part to be part of the decision making, right?” Wilson said. “It’s a commitment. Somebody is going to get elected. Referendums are going to pass or not, and that will have an impact on your life whether you like it or not.”
Wilson said she supported Slotkin for U.S. Senate because she hasn’t heard anything negative about the congresswoman. Wilson said she gathered information from political ads that showed Slotkin’s political career was inspired by her mother’s battle with cancer.
Wilson wasn’t a fan of Thanedar but was swayed by attack ads that cast Waters as unsupportive of same-sex marriage. Waters said those claims are false and participated in Detroit Motor City Pride events this year.
Blue Water Action, a political committee formed July 1, spent $2.3 million in ads attacking Waters.
