Friday, November 9, 2012
The southeast Michigan health care provider helped secure general election ballots for 109 patients across their four hospitals.
When Tracie Terrell entered Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn in late October for a check-up and they told her she'd have to stay, life got put on hold. The resident of Westland had to cancel a meeting, let her family know where she was, and she wasn't going to be able to vote in the Nov. 6 election. "When I got here, I wasn't expecting to stay," she said. "When I realized I wasn't going home, I wondered how I would be able to vote." Luckily, Oakwood's Volunteer Services and Spiritual Support teams had wondered the same thing—and found a solution. In 2008, Oakwood began a program that helped patients secure and turn in absentee ballots. This November, the program went system-wide, helping 109 patients in the health provider's four hospitals …
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Four out of six statewide proposals were overwhelmingly defeated in Dearborn on Election Day.
While Dearborn voters mostly mirrored statewide trends in turning down proposals on the Nov. 6 ballot, there were two major differences: Dearborn voters passed Proposals 1 and 2 with a 50.58 and 52.34 percent majority, respectively. Statewide, voters turned down all six proposals. One of the most controversial government issues of the past year, Proposal 1 centered on the future of the state's emergency manager law. Passed as Public Act 4 in 2011, the law allowed the state to appoint an official to oversee a community deemed to be in significant financial trouble. The law allowed that official to dissolve any elected officials and union agreements. Proposal 1 was supported by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, and opposed by unions. Proposal 2 …
Absentee ballots hit a record high, while turnout at the polls lagged.
Maybe it was the long lines, the indimidation factor of a two-page, double-sided ballot, or that there simply wasn't as much enthusiasm. Whatever the case, Dearborn voter turnout in the 2012 general election did not hit expected levels. Of the city's 61,336 registered voters, 39,990 cast ballots on Tuesday—a 65.2 percent turnout. In the 2008 presidential election, Dearborn saw a 69.61 percent turnout, or 42,206 of its then 60,633 registered voters. City Clerk Kathy Buda had predicted a turnout closer to 70 percent this election, especially with the high number of absentee ballots cast. But while absentee voters jumped to the highest number Buda has seen in her time working elections—9,201 total cast, up from 8,575 in 2008—slow numbers at …
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Dingell called his win in a release sent out Tuesday night.
With results still coming in, U.S. Rep. John Dingell has called the race for his re-election to the House of Representatives. He faces Republican Cynthia Kallgren, a businesswoman from Trenton, in the race for the newly drawn district, which includes parts of Wayne and Washtenaw counties. If officially re-elected, Dingell will enter his 30th term in Congress in January. That will make him the longest-serving congressman in U.S. history. “I want to thank the fine people of Michigan's 12th Congressional District for once again allowing me to serve them in the U.S. House; it is my distinct honor and privilege to do so," Dingell said in a statement released Tuesday night. "I will continue to fight hard for their priorities and to make them …
The results are in for Dearborn in the 2012 general election.
Update, 1:15 a.m. Wednesday All precincts have been counted in Dearborn. Sam Salamey will serve as judge in the 19th District Court, replacing Chief Judge Richard Wygonik. All other local incumbents kept their seats, including 15th District Rep. George Darany, Wayne County Commissioner Gary Woronchak, and Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education Trustees Aimee Blackburn and Mary Lane. Update, 10:30 p.m. With 70 percent of Dearborn's precincts counted, Sam Salamey is leading with 59 percent of the vote in the 19th District Court race. Both Salamey and Wygonik had been out at the polls all day, and both were awaiting local and national results at their respective election parties in west Dearborn—Salamey at LaPita; Wygonik at Park Place. …
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Exit polls show voters backing Barack Obama; national media give the state's 16 electoral votes to the president.
The polls have not been closed long, but based on exit polls results several media organizations have declared President Barack Obama the winner of Michigan's 16 electoral votes on Tuesday, defeating Republican and native son Mitt Romney. NBC, NPR, CNN, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post all have declared Obama the winner. Media outlets also have called the overall race for Obama. In the 2008 presidential election, the state voted for the Democratic candidate, and in recent elections has voted for the overall winner of the presidential race 3 out of 5 times. Romney and Obama did not campaign aggressively in Michigan. The state has typically been a Democratic stronghold in recent presidential elections. The economy was a key …
Adrenne Wygonik, wife of Chief Judge Richard Wygonik, was one of many supporters handing out literature at the polls in Dearborn on Election Day.
The chilly air on Election Day didn't stop supporters of local and state candidates from handing out campaign literature at the polls on Tuesday in Dearborn. Among the bundled-up canvassers were many people on each side of the city's race for a seat on the 19th District Court—including Chief Judge Richard Wygonik's wife, Adrenne. Wygonik is vying for reelection to his seat, and faces attorney and court magistrate Sam Salamey in the race. Adrenne Wygonik talked to voters at Long Elementary in Dearborn's southwest corner, and said she'd been out in front of the school since 6:30 a.m. "This is a high-turnout area," she said. "This neighborhood is very educated." This year marks Judge Wygonik's second race for reelection—and Adrenne herself …
Michigan's voting goes until 8 p.m., but some polls elsewhere close earlier.
Michigan voters have until 8 p.m. Eastern to cast their Election 2012 ballots, but voting in other key swing states ends as much as an hour earlier, and exit polling could provide an early clue whether President Obama or Mitt Romney is closer to the White House. The earliest key state to watch is Virginia, where polls close at 7 p.m. Eastern. Voting ends 30 minutes later in the swing states of Ohio and North Carolina. As Michigan's polls close, the swing states of Florida, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire close their polls, too. Nevada and Iowa, two other swing states that could prove pivotal in this year's presidential election, close voting at 10 p.m. Eastern. Check here as Patch updates Election 2012 results as they come in.
Dearborn Patch editor Jessica Carreras is covering the elections—and more—with the help of Instagram.
Get a free donut at Tim Hortons Cafe and Bake Shop all day Nov. 6.
After you fill in the tiny circles of freedom on the ballots today, stop by Tim Hortons Cafe and Bake Shop for a free large circle of deliciousness. Tim Hortons is offering a coupon for a free donut, with the purchase of a beverage, all day Nov. 6 in honor of election day. Simply print the coupon available in the photo section of this article or go to the Tim Hortons Cafe and Bake Shop website and present it at any Tim Hortons—incluing three Dearborn locations: On Nov. 11, Veterans Day, Tim Hortons is giving all active and inactive U.S. military veterans a free donut in an effort to thank them for their service and dedication to their country, according to a Tim Hortons release. No purchase is necessary. Veterans need to either be in …
Anne Gautreau
4:52 pm on Saturday, November 10, 2012
Congratulations to Oakwood Hospital for supporting participatory democracy and for demonstrating creative problem solving skills! Their efforts in helping patients to secure ballots are both impressive and gratifying. Theirs must truly be a "feel-good" institution. more ›