By Greg Stempfle
Link to April 2019 Michigan Libertarian
Many cities across Michigan will be holding elections this year for city council, mayor, and other city officials. Libertarians have historically been more successful at being elected to city offices. All but three cities in the state hold nonpartisan elections, meaning there are no political party labels on the ballot. Being a nonpartisan race eliminates a lot of the institutional bias against candidates from third parties by treating all candidates as independents. Voters are more likely to evaluate each candidate on their merits rather than by party label.
To qualify for your city ballot, a candidate must file two forms: a Statement of Organization is filed with your county clerk and a notarized Affidavit of Identity is filed with your city clerk (or county clerk). When filing your affidavit, you will need to also pay a $100 filing fee or submit a certain number of signatures. Here are links to the two forms:
- Statement of Organization Form For Local Candidate Committees Filed With a County Clerk
- Affidavit of Identity and Receipt of Filing
Please check with your city clerk to verify the filing requirements. For cities that hold primaries, the deadline to file will be April 23, 2019. For cities that do not hold primaries, the deadline will be July 23, 2019.
