Voters in Atlas, Brandon and Groveland townships rejected Proposal 1 by an even larger margin than the county average, and with a better than average turnout for a special election as well.
In Brandon Township, 3,440 voters, or 29 percent of the total 11,927 registered voters in the township, cast their ballots in the May 5 election. The special election had only one issue on the ballot in our local communities, proposal 1, which sought to increase Michigan’s sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent in order to fund road improvments, but which also distributed funds to education, increased the earned income credit, and eliminated sales/use tax on gasoline at the pump, among other changes.
Of the 3,440 ballots cast in Brandon, 3,100 were no votes for the proposal, roughly 89 percent, to 333 yes votes, or 11 percent. Seven ballots did not have an oval marked.
Brandon Township Clerk Candee Allen called the turnout very good.
‘I think people wanted to make sure their vote counted on this proposal and they wanted to send a message,? she said. ‘What we heard all day is if the money would have gone to roads only, At polls in Atlas Township and the Village of Goodrich, voters spoke candidly.
Dan and Jan Hempton voted yes to the proposal.
‘The roads stink and the money will go a long way for the schools,? said Jan.
Jackie Pethers also voted yes.
‘I work for the Michigan Department of Transportation and I know the need for funding,? she said. ‘The roads are in bad shape.?
But Pethers and the Hemptons were in the minority.
In Atlas Township 34 percent of regestered voters turned out on Tuesday.
Unofficially, 266 voters said yes to Proposal 1, while 1,797 were opposed.
Atlas Township voter turnout exceeded the Genesee County average with just 20 percent.
Among the majority no voters were Richard Lawrence, who said those who drive on the roads should pay for them, and Cherie Fisher, who said residents already pay enough taxes for roads.
‘Lansing need to work harder to find a way to fund repairs,? she said.
Patti Neville agreed.
‘I voted no. There needs to be another way to fund roads? it’s more, more, more all the time, but we get less, less, less.?
In Groveland Township, Clerk Pam Mazich reported a 33 percent voter turnout, with 92 percent of ballots, 1,364, rejecting the proposal, and only 134 ballots in favor.
‘I think the resident have spoken,? Mazich said. ‘They want the lawmakers to listen to them. Residents of the state do not want a proposition that has all kinds of add-on language. Also, residents want lawmakers to be fiscally responsible first and work to see if the funding can come from somewhere else rather than just new taxes. The proposition and the add-ons were done at the last minute. We take taxpayer money seriously here in Groveland and the state should, too.?
David Fleet contributed to this report.