Politics during election years can feel like going into an ice cream shop with 31 flavors … and all of them are vegetable flavored. In short, there are a lot of choices and sometimes they are not all that palatable. But at least we have choices in America, and MLive’s journalists have been working hard to make sure you have the information you need to make informed choices as we near the midterm elections. Our coverage spans the Mitten, from statewide offices and ballot issues on down to local school board races in the eight communities where MLive has traditional newspaper operations. We cover debates, such as the one last week between incumbent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and GOP challenger Tudor Dixon, and we follow campaign fund-raising and spending, such as this piece this week on Dixon’s war chest, which is dwarfed by Whitmer’s. And, since election integrity remains such a contentious issue in the wake of the 2020 election chaos, we have written a multitude of stories about investigations into fraud and tampering, and what is being done to make sure the system is sound heading into the Nov. 8 balloting. One thing MLive will not do – and has not done since 2016 – is write editorial board endorsements for specific candidates. You can read about our rationale behind this stance in this column I wrote heading into the 2020 presidential election, but the short answer is: Opinions don’t inform or change minds; facts and verified information do. Toward that end, we are putting our resources and journalistic effort toward reporting and verifying information on candidates and issues that will help make you an informed citizen. We also provide a useful tool for you to learn about your races and make distinctions between candidates – this online voter’s guide that we produce in conjunction with the League of Women Voters. Click the link, enter your address and view all the races on your ballot, from the governor’s office on down to your city council. You can even print it out, mark it up and bring it to the polls with you for reference. If you want to stay abreast of all key election information heading into Nov. 8, click this link and bookmark it – it’s MLive’s dedicated page for politics and election stories. And if you want to do some homework now, here are the links to the stories we have written explaining the three proposals on the statewide ballots: Proposal 1, altering term limits and political financial requirements Proposal 2, expansion and protection of voting rights Proposal 3, access to abortion, contraceptives and infertility care I know, I know – doing your civic duty to be informed can feel a little like eating your vegetables. But as the last few election cycles have shown, the stakes are high and participation makes a difference. MLive will do its part, so you can do yours on Nov. 8. ###
John Hiner is the vice president of content for MLive Media Group. If you have questions you’d like him to answer, or topics to explore, share your thoughts at [email protected]. | 