Grosse Pointers take advantage of early voting

GROSSE POINTES — Voters might not agree on who the best candidates were, but early voting seems to be a hit that transcends party lines.

Election officials in the Grosse Pointes report more people than ever using the early voting option to cast their ballots for the Nov. 5 presidential election.

“It went great,” Grosse Pointe Shores Deputy Clerk Courtney Delmege said of early voting. “It was a great turnout.”

The Shores saw total voter turnout of 82.26%, or 2,086 out of the city’s 2,536 registered voters. Delmege said about 606 of those ballots were cast using early voting.

“Everyone’s voter turnout on Election Day is a lot lower (since early voting was initiated), which is nice because it’s not so (crowded),” Delmege said.

She said Election Day turnout “has been very steady” all day.

They didn’t run into any hiccups on Election Day, either.

“We had an amazing staff,” Delmege said. “All of my precinct workers are fantastic. Everything went really smooth.”

Grosse Pointe Farms City Clerk Derrick Kozicki said the Farms had more than 2,500 people who used early voting, “which is about 500 more than we anticipated.”

“The last day of early voting was the busiest day,” Kozicki continued.

Many Farms voters took advantage of no-excuse absentee ballots as well, mailing or dropping off those ballots.

That’s not to say Election Day was slow, however.

“We’ve had a steady flow the entire day,” Kozicki said. “We had a long line at first (in the morning when polls opened), but we quickly were able to get all of those voters ballots and into the voting booth.”

That sentiment was echoed by Farms Precinct 2 Chair Joseph Daniel-Hoste.

“I have been telling people it has been steady bordering on busy,” Daniel-Hoste said of Election Day turnout.

Farms voter turnout was strong, at 78.58%, or 7,492 of the city’s 9,534 registered voters.

Clerk Christopher Hardenbrook, of Grosse Pointe City, said the City saw about 1,110 people cast ballots using early voting, which was “significantly more” than the number of residents who used it during the August primary.

“Between absentee and early voting, it’s just over 50% of our voting population,” Hardenbrook said.

Election Day saw “a steady stream of people,” Hardenbrook said, but voters didn’t face waits in long lines this year.

“Because of early voting, we’re not getting huge rushes (on Election Day), so we’re not getting lines,” Hardenbrook said. “Every single voter (I heard from said) they loved the convenience of coming during the nine-day (early voting) period, especially the weekends. And then people not having to wait in lines results in less frustrated voters. So, we’re definitely reaping the benefits of early voting today.”

In the City, 77.06% of registered voters — 4,027 out of 5,226 — cast ballots.

Grosse Pointe Park City Clerk Bridgette Bowdler said her city had the same experience.

“The early voting went great,” Bowdler said. “We were busy every single day.”

She said the Park saw 2,068 use early voting, with 365 showing up on the last day, a Sunday — making that their busiest early voting day.

“That helped us at the polls,” Bowdler said, noting it reduced lines dramatically on Election Day.

Election Day itself went smoothly, she said. A lot of that could be attributed to the all-hands-on-deck approach the city took, with staff and administrators in other departments helping out. In recent years, all the Park’s voting precincts have been consolidated at Windmill Pointe Park, where Election Day voters cast ballots either at the Lavins Center or the neighboring Tomkins Center.

“It was our Super Bowl — and we won it,” Bowdler said. “Our park staff has been amazing. Our whole team worked together.”

Grosse Pointe Woods City Clerk Paul Antolin said early voting “went great,” with more than 3,200 Woods residents casting their ballots that way.

“Day one (of early voting) surpassed early voting (totals) in both February and August combined,” Antolin said.

The Woods also issued 5,894 absentee ballots, he said. They got more than 95% of those back.

“That kind of alleviated some of the pressure off of the precincts (on Election Day),” Antolin said. “But it is busy.”

Like the other clerks, Antolin thanked all the poll workers and city staffers who kept things running smoothly.

“I do (also) appreciate the support from Wayne County and the state of Michigan,” Antolin said. “It was definitely a collaborative effort. And, the other Grosse Pointes and Harper Woods. We’re constantly talking and exchanging ideas. I’ve got to hand it to all my staff and everyone involved in the election.”

The Woods had one of the highest rates of voter turnout in the Pointes, with 11,827 of the city’s 14,662 registered voters — or 80.66% — casting ballots.

More than a few parents brought their young children to the polls with them, including Emery Buccellato, of the Farms.

“It’s important to vote,” said Buccellato, who was accompanied by her husband and four children. “I told them that every vote matters and it’s very important to our country for everybody to get out to vote.”

At the state, federal and county levels, voters returned incumbents to office.

District 13 U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit, handily won reelection to a second term with 68.28% of the vote. His challengers were Republican Martell D. Bivings, Libertarian Chris Clark, U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate Chris Dardzinski and Working Class Party candidate Simone R. Coleman.

“I want to thank my opponents for running and participating in the democratic process,” Thanedar, 69, said in a press release. “I thank US House Democratic Leadership for endorsing me, as well as the unions and groups that supported my campaign.”

Because of redistricting, the Grosse Pointes are getting a new official in the Michigan House of Representatives. State Rep. Veronica Paiz, D-Harper Woods — who had been representing the 11th District since January 2023 — was elected to become the representative for the new 10th District, which covers Harper Woods, the five Grosse Pointes and several Detroit neighborhoods — Yorkshire Woods, East English Village, Cornerstone Village and Morningside. Oddly enough, when districts were reconfigured, Precinct 2 in Grosse Pointe Woods was split off from the rest of the Pointes and is now part of District 12, despite protest from Woods officials.

Paiz, 67, received 67.12% of the votes, compared to her Republican challenger, Griffin Wojtowicz, with 32.42%.

Paiz, who lives in the portion of Harper Woods that’s included in the Grosse Pointe Public School System, has a history of community involvement, having served on the Harper Woods Public Library Board and the Harper Woods Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Before becoming a state legislator, she spent eight years on the Harper Woods City Council.

“It’s always been really important to me,” Paiz said of public service. “I expect to be just as involved (with District 10). Having served on the City Council, it’s always seemed to me that Harper Woods and the Grosse Pointes are joined at the hip. We have a lot of shared services and concerns. I feel, for me, (the new district) will be less of a readjustment.”

In her first term in the Michigan House, Paiz was the majority vice chair of the Agriculture Committee and also served on the Local Government and Finance, Higher Education and Natural Resources/Environment/Tourism/Outdoor Recreation committees. She was also recently appointed to the executive committee of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, one of four representing the Midwest. Paiz said environmental issues, such as protecting local waterways, are one of her priorities. She said she’s also always been interested in issues impacting seniors.

Paiz has lived in Harper Woods since 1999.

There were also a couple of uncontested local races. Wayne County Commissioner Tim Killeen, D-Detroit — who represents the 1st District — was unopposed in his bid for another two-year term. Wayne County Community College Board of Trustees member Roy Edmonds, of Grosse Pointe Park, who represents the 1st District, had no challenger in his bid for a six-year-term on the board. Edmonds was named in 2022 to replace longtime board trustee Mary Ellen Stempfle, of Grosse Pointe City, who stepped down when she and her husband moved out of the community.