How many people do I vote for? – Part 1

Darren Bagley<bagleyda@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension -

How many different elected positions do you vote for in an eight-year election cycle? The number may surprise you.

As you enter the voting booth on Election Day or fill out your absentee ballot, have you ever wondered who all of these people are? Have you ever checked your box without really knowing who you are voting for? How many elected officials do you vote for? 10? 25? More?

When I counted up the publically elected positions I personally vote for, I came up with 99. This is over a period of eight years because some positions, such as State Board of Education, are for eight-year terms. Your numbers will differ based on where you live, but will be similar. I am also not sure if I found them all. Here is my listing.

Federal offices:

1. President of the United States

2-3. United States Senators

4. United State Congressional Representative

State offices:

5. Governor of Michigan

6. Secretary of State of Michigan

7. Attorney General of Michigan

8. Michigan State Senator

9. Michigan State Representative

Educational offices:

10-17. Members of the State Board of Education (8 members)

18-25. Members of the Michigan State University Board of Trustees (8 members)

26-33. Members of the University of Michigan Board of Regents (8 members)

34-41. Members of the Wayne State University Board of Governors (8 members)

42-48. Members of the Mott Community College Board of Trustees (7 members)

49-55. Mount Morris School Board (7 members)

Judicial offices:

56-62. Judges of the Michigan State Supreme Court (7 justices)

62-68. Judges of the Michigan Court of Appeals District II (6 judges)

69-77. Judges of the 7th Circuit Court of Michigan (9 judges)

78-79. Judges of the Genesee County Probate Court (2 judges)

80. Judge for the 67th District Court

County offices:

81. Genesee County Commissioner

82. Genesee County Sheriff

83. Genesee County Prosecutor

84. Genesee County Treasurer

85. Genesee County Clerk/Register of Deeds

86. Genesee County Drain Commissioner

87. Genesee County Surveyor

Local offices:

88. Mount Morris Township Supervisor

89. Mount Morris Township Clerk

90. Mount Morris Township Treasurer

91-94. Mount Morris Township Trustees (4 members)

Other offices:

95-99. Genesee County Conservation District Board (5 members)

I found this number shocking when I first counted it up. Over the next few articles, we will discuss these positions, how they compare to other states, and discussions you can have with youth, neighbors, friends and family as we head towards Election Day.

To learn about the positive impact of Michigan 4-H youth leadership, citizenship and serviceand global and cultural education programs, read our Impact Report: “Developing Civically Engaged Leaders.” Additional impact reports, highlighting even more ways MSU Extension and Michigan 4-H have positively impacted individuals and communities can be downloaded from the MSU Extension website.

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