There is a full ballot for voters in Allendale this election cycle, and with Election Day approaching and mail-in ballots already in hand, the political season is in full swing. 

On the local end of the ballot are a smattering of national Congressional, state and regional races, alongside with a pair of state proposals. Each race summary includes a brief overview of both the incumbent and the challenger, with an emphasis on portions of their platforms most relevant to the collegiate campus community. Visit www.lanthorn.com for links to each candidate’s website for more information. 

See our editorial on page 4 for a full walkthrough of how the Lanthorn will be approaching covering the election this year. 

John James v Gary Peters (14th Congressional District, US Senate) 

John James is the Republican challenger in the race for the 14th Congressional District seat in the U.S. Senate. He plans on protecting the Great Lakes by working with the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, joining the Senate Climate Solutions Caucus and reforming the Affordable Care Act. He supports holding polluters accountable and President Trump’s tax cuts for the 1%. He is adamantly against environmental regulations on small businesses, as well as single-payer healthcare. 

Gary Peters is the incumbent Democratic candidate in the race for the 14th Congressional District seat in the U.S. Senate. He’s working to protect the Great Lakes, secure funding for communities affected by water pollution and expand healthcare coverage with a Medicare public option. He supports Planned Parenthood, government subsidies for renewable energy and requiring health plans to cover birth control. He is adamantly against President Trump’s tax cuts for the 1%. 

Bryan Berghoef v Bill Huizenga (MI 2nd Congressional District, US House) 

Bryan Berghoef is the Democratic challenger in the race for the 2nd Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He plans on holding corporations accountable for their contribution to climate change, protecting families from predatory price increases and allowing the federal government to negotiate with drug companies to lower prices on medications. He supports clean energy — both for the environment and the economy — and moving toward universal healthcare coverage. He is adamantly opposed to energy subsidies that prop up the fossil fuel industry and President Trump’s tax cuts for the 1%. 

Bill Huizenga is the incumbent Republican candidate in the race for the 2nd Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He’s working to encourage the development of renewable energy sources with a comprehensive energy package, protect patients with pre-existing conditions and protect the Great Lakes by working with the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. He supports President Trump’s tax cuts for the 1% and federal energy subsidies. He is adamantly against abortion, universal healthcare and opposed the House’s COVID-19 stimulus package. 

Franklin Cornielle v Luke Meerman (Michigan House District 88)

Franklin Cornielle is the Democratic challenger in the race for the 88th District seat in the Michigan House of Representatives. He believes in protecting the Great Lakes and is against defunding public schools. Cornielle also supports Governor Whitmer’s COVID-19 policies. 

Luke Meerman is the incumbent Republican candidate in the race for the 88th District seat. Meerman is adamantly opposed to abortion and Governor Whitmer’s emergency orders surrounding COVID-19. 

Michigan Board of Education 

Ellen Lipton (D)

• Believes in driving resources towards vulnerable students and students with disabilities.
• Does not support allowing the school-aid fund to fund community colleges or public universities.

Jason Strayhorn (D)

• Supports equitable funding.
• Advocating for students who need additional services.

Tami Carlone (R)

• Does not support “teaching to the test” philosophy. 
• Supports leaving Common Core.

Michelle Frederick (R)

• Wants to examine teacher training, standardized tests and professional development at all grade levels. 

Bill Hall (L)

• Supports school of choice, competition between schools.
• Believes in letting poorly performing schools fail. 

Richard A. Hewer (L)

• Supports school of choice.
• Supports letting students specialize.

Mary Anne Hering (WCP)

• Ending tax cuts and subsidies given to major corporations and real estate speculators.
• Supports organizing school labor.

Hali McEachern (WCP)

• Supports smaller classroom sizes.
• Supports student welfare.
• Supports the inclusion of the arts in the curriculum.

Tom Mair (G)

• Believes in remote learning for public schools during the pandemic. 

Karen Adams (TPM)

• Supports parents making more decisions about their child’s education
• Supports scaling back the state’s educational budget and spending

Douglas Levesque (TPM)

• Supports parent-involved education.
• Supports increased choice in public education.
• Supports performance-based learning and funding

Michigan Supreme Court Justice

Mary Kelly, Elizabeth Welch, Bridget Mary McCormack, Brock Swartzle, Katherine Mary Nepton, Kerry Lee Morgan and Susan L. Hubbard are all candidates for the position of Michigan Supreme Court Justice. 

Welch and McCormack both believe in modernizing technology in the courts and increasing access to legal counsel. Hubbard also believes in modernizing technology in the courts, as well as providing adequate compensation for court-appointed attorneys. Swartzle believes in making pretrial matters cheaper and providing juvenile offenders with early and effective intervention. Morgan wants to eliminate compulsory membership in the State Bar of Michigan and Nepton believes in eliminating “debtors’ prison” laws. 

Michigan State Proposal 20-1, 20-2

The first state proposal on the ballot is regarding the use of state and local park funds. Voting “yes” on the proposal would support changes to spending, like the ability to spend revenue on park/recreational facility maintenance or renovation. Voting “no” on the proposal would oppose changes to spending. The second state proposal on the ballot is regarding the privacy of electronic data. Voting “yes” would support a constitutional amendment requiring search warrants to access digital personal data, and voting “no” would oppose it. 

Allendale Supervisor & Clerk

Adam Elenbaas is running unopposed for the position of Allendale Supervisor. Jody Hansen is also running unopposed for the position of Allendale Clerk.

Political Party Key

D=Democrat

R=Republican

L=Libertarian

WCP=Working Class Party

TPM=Taxpayers Party of Michigan