2024 Presidential Primary Information

2024 Presidential Primary Information

The 2024 Presidential primary season is here. Next Monday in Iowa the Republican party holds their state caucus. The New Hampshire primary follows on February 23rd, and then the primaries will keep coming all the way through June. (You can see the full nationwide schedule of primaries and caucuses here.)

Here in Michigan our primary has been moved up to February 27th this year.

Because of the passage of Prop 2 in 2022 (and the actions to implement it by the state legislature) this year’s primary will be the first in Michigan to offer in-person early voting, along with other changes. You can learn all about those changes by attending the presentation at our January meeting (more information in the item that follows this).

Here are some key dates to be aware of for this year’s Presidential primary

• Thursday, Jan. 18: Last date at which absentee ballots must be made available for voters. If you are already registered to receive absentee ballots you should expect to have your ballot by this date.

• Monday, Feb. 12: Deadline to register online or by mail in order to be eligible to vote in the Presidential primary.

• Tuesday, Feb. 13: First day for in-person registration at your local clerk's office (must have proof of residency).

• Saturday, Feb. 17: Early in-person voting begins in Houghton County. NOTE: the Early Voting Site for all 2024 elections in Houghton County will be at Houghton City Center, 616 Shelden Avenue, Room 203, Houghton. (The site is accessible with an elevator.)

• Friday, Feb. 23, at 5 p.m.: Deadline to request an absentee ballot online or by mail.

• Sunday, Feb. 25: Last day of early voting in Houghton County (and also state-wide).

• Monday, Feb. 26, at 4 p.m.: Last chance to request an absentee ballot in person at your local clerk's office.

• Tuesday, Feb. 27: Election Day. Polls are open from 7 AM to 8 PM. You may also obtain absentee ballots at your local clerk's office until polls close, but only if you are registering to vote or updating your voter registration address.

Presentation at January’s Monthly Meeting: Proposal 22-2: What Michigan Voters Need to Know in 2024

Our January meeting is coming up on the 17th, and we want to make sure you are aware of an informative and important presentation that will be shared at the meeting.

Valorie Troesch will be presenting on behalf of Voters Not Politicians - the group that worked hard to get 2022’s Proposition 2 on the ballot, and to get out the vote for it’s passage.

We encourage all HCDP members and supporters to attend, and invite your friends to attend too. Attendance is either in person at the Super 8 in Houghton, or by Zoom (Zoom link can be found below under Upcoming Events).

Run for Precinct Delegate

Just a short note to follow up on last week’s email from Brian Hoduski, co-chair of the HCDP Candidate Recruitment committee. In Brian’s note he reiterated the importance of Precinct Delegates to your county Democratic Party.

Having as many precinct delegates from as many precincts as possible will help to strengthen the party and its capabilities for the 2024 campaign.

The deadline to file to run as a precinct delegate this year is 4:00 PM on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (It’s April 23rd for all other partisan candidates.)

Still Time to Apply to Serve on the County Planning Commission

You still have time to apply for this opportunity for two County residents to serve on the County Planning Commission.

The wording below comes from the county’s public posting as shared in the Daily Mining Gazette:

TO: ALL INTERESTED CITIZENS

The Houghton County Board of Commission is accepting applications for 2 open positions on the

HOUGHTON COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION

The two positions will represent Community Interest in (1) Local Government Planning and Zoning, and (2) Local Recreation and Culture.

Applicants should provide a Letter of Interest, and an application which shares their qualifications to represent the Interest group that they are applying for as a Planning Commissioner.

Questions can be directed to Ben Larson, County Administrator, Houghton County Courthouse, 401 E. Houghton Avenue, Houghton, MI 49913 - or online at http://www.houghtoncounty.net/docs/AppBoards.pdf.

Deadline for application submittal is 4:30 pm, Friday, January 12, 2024, and all applicants will be considered at the Monthly BOC meeting held on January 17, 2024

A Beautiful Blue Scorcher - Our Meme of the Week

We’ll likely be shifting our focus away from memes and social media posts as the political season heats up, and instead focus more directly on important events happening on the campaign trails locally, statewide and at the national level.

This week we are going to do both.

On Friday, the eve of the anniversary of the 2021 insurrection at our nation’s capital, President Biden gave his first speech of the 2024 campaign. The speech has been described in social media posts as “impressive”, “excellent”, “a beautiful blue scorcher”, “blistering”, and “superb”, among other accolades.

In his speech President Biden called out in stark terms why democracy is on the ballot in 2024. He laid the blame for the events of January 6th clearly at the feet of Donald Trump, who’s inaction while the Capital was attacked he called “among the worst derelictions of duty by a President in American history”.

Washington Post columnist Jennifer Ruben posted to Threads that “Biden should give this speech every day until the election”. The speech is THAT good, and its exactly what we as a nation need and deserve.

Please do yourself a favor and give the speech a listen. 

You can view President Biden’s speech as captured by PBS on this web page. Or, you can find the full transcript of the speech as captured by the Associated Press at this web page.

At the Capital / Around the State

Given the time of year news of political or governmental happenings at the state level is pretty slow. But here are a few things that made news this past week:

• In an interview Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said she will be working with AG Dana Nessel to thwart election interference and strengthen penalties for individuals attempting to interfere with election results. MORE: Michigan Advance 

• Former darling of the Michigan MAGA set, and now the embattled Chair of the Michigan Republican Party, Kristina Karamo is facing a vote from the party’s State Committee to oust her as Chair. Karamo claims the move has no legal force and has threatened a lawsuit. MORE: CNN 

• Karamo defended her position in an interview with WJBK, claiming the state party’s problems were inherited, and not her fault. Further, Karamo claims that both the state and national Republican parties have “lost influence” and “lost credibilty”. WOW. MORE: Newsweek

• The Gander has an article highlighting Michiganders who had a role in the January 6th insurrection, and what has happened to them since. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, unfortunately. The list includes our US House Rep. Jack Bergman, who voted to block presidential electors certified by Republican-majority state legislatures in Arizona and Pennsylvania. He’s one of several bad actors who have yet to suffer any real consequences. MORE: The Gander

Next Monthly Meeting

HCDP Monthly Meetings: Unless otherwise communicated our monthly meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month. Potluck at 6 PM, Meeting at 7 PM. In the conference room at the Houghton Super 8, and by Zoom (starting at 7 PM).

NEXT MEETING: JANUARY 17TH

Community Events

WED JAN 9

The Houghton County Board of Commissioners meeting originally scheduled for January 9th has been moved to next Wednesday, January 17th.

THUR JAN 10

The Houghton City Council meets at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Meeting Agenda can be found in the Searchable Document Center of the Council's website.

MON JAN 15

Monday is Martin Luther King Day. The King Center in Atlanta has a number or events organized around this year’s theme of “Shifting the Cultural Climate through the Study and Practice of Kingian Nonviolence”. Many of the events can be attended remotely online. For more information visit the King Holiday webpage at the King Center website.