DEARBORN – Dearborn voters will head to the polls in the primary election Aug. 3 to cast votes for candidates running for mayor and City Council, and will have an opportunity to decide the outcome of proposals asking for a renewal of a six-year library millage and a review of the City Charter.
Seven candidates are running for mayor, and 18 candidates are running for City Council. Voters can select one candidate for mayor, and up to seven candidates for City Council. The top two vote-getters for mayor will face off in the November general election, while the top 14 candidates for City Council advance.
The library millage renewal, put forward by City Council, will appear on the ballot. Voters will determine if the they want to reauthorize the current 1 mill ad valorem tax for six additional years. The millage was first passed by voters six years ago, and is used to offset the cost of providing library services in Dearborn. Revenue generated by this mill generates $3.7 million in revenue, accounting for or approximately 60 percent of the library’s total operating budget.
Dearborn voters will also decide whether to start the process for the City Charter to be reviewed and potentially revised. The charter is the document that provides general rules and guidance for Dearborn governmental operations, general functions of departments, procedures used to guide the conduct of council business, general election requirements, and more.
The charter was last amended and ratified in 2007, and the current version contains a provision that puts the revision before voters in 2021. Should voters say yes in August to start the process to revise the Charter, then nine Charter Commission members will be elected in November.
At the time of publication, any person that has received, but has not yet returned their absentee voter ballot application might still be able to return their application to the City Clerk’s Office and vote in person. Applications must be received by mail no later than the July 30 deadline in order for an AV ballot to be mailed out. It is recommended to return applications by mail sooner or return it the clerk’s office in person.
If you want to vote AV, it’s recommended that you take your outstanding AV ballot application to the City Clerk’s Office in person, and request an AV ballot at the counter before the 4 p.m. Aug. 2 deadline.
An application for an absentee voter ballot is available in Arabic. A form to register to vote is also available in Arabic. Go to www.cityofdearborn.org/services/clerk/election-information.