Early voting begins Saturday, Oct. 24 for the 2026 midterm elections in Michigan, which feature many races of national and local consequence.
As in other recent elections, the early in-person voting site for all White Lake area precincts will be 1903 Marquette Avenue in Muskegon, near Muskegon Community College. Early voting hours will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 24 and 31, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 26-28 and Oct. 30, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 29.
Nationally, voters will select a senator and a representative to take their seats in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives respectively.
U.S. Senate: Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers are the Democratic and Republican candidates respectively in a race to replace retiring Democrat Gary Peters as senator. El-Sayed is the former health director of Detroit and, later, Wayne County, and previously ran for governor in 2018, his only other attempt to obtain elected office prior to this race. Rogers is a former state senator and representative in the U.S. House and unsuccessfully ran against Elissa Slotkin for Michigan's other Senate seat in 2024. Other candidates are Lydia Christensen (Libertarian), Tim Long (U.S. Taxpayers), Douglas Marsh (Green) and Walter Kristy (Natural Law).
U.S. House: Democrat Ben Ambrose and incumbent Republican John Moolenaar are the major party candidates. Moolenaar first won his seat in 2014 and was previously a state senator and state representative. Ambrose has never held elected office; he is a Marine Corps veteran and current program manager at Aptive Resources, a consulting firm that works with the federal government. Other candidates include Charlotte Magoon (Green) and Richard Sills (Natural Law).
There are also several state races of import, as voters will select Michigan's governor and secretary of state, as well as the 32nd district's state senator and 102nd district's state representative.
Michigan Governor: The Democratic ticket is Jocelyn Benson and Winnie Brinks, going against Republican ticket John James and Jay DeBoyer. Incumbent governor Gretchen Whitmer will reach her term limit at the expiration of her current term.
Benson is the current Michigan Secretary of State, having served in that position throughout Whitmer's eight years as governor. Brinks is a current state senator and was previously a state representative. For the Republican ticket, James is a current state representative and previously lost 2018 and 2020 U.S. Senate races in Michigan. DeBoyer is a current state representative.
Other candidates include Anthony Hudson/Beau Parmenter (Libertarian), Donna Brandenburg/Robert Cowper III (U.S. Taxpayers) and Douglas Campbell/Bobbie Gray (Green).
Michigan Secretary of State: Current lieutenant governor Garlin Gilchrist (D) vs. current state representative Anthony Forlini (R). Other candidates include Christine Sloan (Libertarian), Scott Aughney (U.S. Taxpayers) and Eric Borregard (Green).
Michigan Attorney General: Current Washtenaw County prosecutor Eli Savit (D) vs. current Eaton County prosecuting attorney Doug Lloyd (R). Other candidates include Jason Dye (Libertarian), John Ludtke Jr. (U.S. Taxpayers), Jeff Polonowski (Green) and Doug Dern (Natural Law).
Michigan State Senator: With Republican Jon Bumstead's term limit up, the 32nd district seat comes down to Democrat Rebecca Amidon vs. Republican Kim Cole. Amidon, currently an adjunct professor at Mid-Michigan College, was previously vice chair of the Manistee County Democratic Party. Cole is soon to retire as Mason County Sheriff after serving in the office since 2013.
Michigan State Representative: Incumbent Republican Curt Vanderwall faces Democrat Angel Coon. Vanderwall has been in office since 2023 and was also previously a state senator. Coon owns and operates Earthwise Studio Shop in Muskegon and is art director for a Detroit music festival. Libertarian Shawn Orton is also running for the seat.
There are also several races at the local level where White Lake area voters will have a chance to weigh in.
Whitehall: In Whitehall, voters will select two school board candidates. Incumbents Paula Martin and Shannon McGoran are seeking re-election, with Sheila Mund running for a seat.
Montague: Montague mayor Tom Lohman is running unopposed for re-election. The city also has three council seats up for grabs. Incumbent Laura LaGuire is seeking re-election, but with Paul Schultz and Susan Newhof not doing so, there will be at least two new council members. Bill Tarr is the only other name on the ballot for the council. Several candidates are seeking write-in votes to potentially fill the third council seat; Wiley Fry, Maya Rademaker and Stacey Boutell are among those who have publicized their efforts on social media.
The Montague School Board also has three seats available. Recent appointee Douglas Schmidt is running unopposed to continue his partial term through 2028. Two other incumbents, Amanda Dahl and Ben Rupert, are seeking new terms, and Jen Hain is also running for the seats.
Ballot Proposals: County voters will be asked to consider a parks and recreation millage proposal that would be collected through 2035. The request is for one-half mill for all taxable property in Muskegon County, which would be used for maintenance and improvements at county parks. The revenue would also be used to pursue new trails in the county. Municipalities would be eligible to apply for grants to pursue other park improvements and could receive back up to 30% of the revenue collected for the millage. Ballot language says that approximately $3.625 million would be collected in the first year.
Blue Lake Township voters will weigh in on a new 10-year, 0.75-mill request from the fire department, which would allow the department to construct an updated facility. The levy would raise a total of $135,229 in its first year, according to ballot language.
Also, two statewide proposals are also on the ballot. As is required by the Michigan Constitution every 10 years, voters will be asked if they support a constitutional convention for the purpose of revising the document. Voters will also be asked to weigh in on a proposal that would prohibit government-contracted utility companies from making campaign contributions and expand laws regulating spending on political communication.
