On Tuesday August 8 Ann Arbor voters will go to the polls to vote in the City Council Democratic primary elections. The Ann Arbor Independent does not endorse in political races. We think our readers are informed enough to use the information provided by this newspaper and other reliable, objective sources to make their own decisions. That being said, voter turn-out in the August primary in past years has been as low as eight percent of the city’s registered voters, though in recent years turnout has trended up slightly, reaching almost ten percent. Needless to say, a ten percent turnout rate means just a few thousand residents choose who will represent the city’s over 95,000 registered voters and 115,000 residents. This means in Ann Arbor’s August primary election every vote matters and every new voter matters even more!

The A2Indy urges its 30,000 readers to vote on August 8.

The following are the names of the individuals running in the August 8 primary election:

Ward 1: Anne Bannister, Jason Frenzel

Ward 3: Zachary Ackerman, Stephen Kunselman

Ward 4: John “Jack” Eaton, Jaime Magiera

Ward 5: David Silkworth, Charles “Chip” Smith

Absentee ballots may be requested from the Ann Arbor City Clerk’s Office by calling this number: 734.794.6140.The final deadline to apply for an absentee ballot in person is 4pm, the day before each election (Monday, Aug. 7).

To find your polling location, please click here.

Below, you will find a round-up of The Ann Arbor Independent’s coverage of the City Council races and City Council. The articles include investigative reporting about all of the incumbents based on public records released by the City of Ann Arbor to the newspaper, a variety of candidate profiles and two opinion pieces. Each piece shows how many times it has been read by individuals as of August 4.

Pedestrian Safety “Top Council Priority” in Dec., Months Later $450K for Pedestrian Safety at Schools Voted Down: This article has 1,067 reads. [All incumbents]

Ann Arbor Observer’s Coverage of Local Politics Criticized Sharply By Its Readers: This article has 1,785 reads. [All candidates]

Updated: Council Candidates Taking Credit for the Work of Others (Including Their Opponents): This article has 1,692 reads. [All candidates]

Emails/Texts Reveal Council Members Staged Homeless Support for Library Lot Sale Vote: This article has 4,555 reads. [Wards 3 and 5 Council races]

Ward 1 Council Candidates Go Head-to-Head: Bannister vs. Frenzel: This article has 921 reads.

Ward 3 Council Candidates Go Head-to-Head: Kunselman vs. Ackerman: This article has 983 reads.

Records Reveal Ward 3 Council Member Spends Hours on Social Media and Sends Secret Emails During Public Meetings: This article has 925 reads.

Ward 3 Challenger Kunselman Says City Council “Lacks Direction and Leadership”: This article has 497 reads.

Ward 4 Council Candidates Go Head-to-Head: Magiera vs. Eaton: This article has 652 reads.

Sierra Club Issues Surprise “Early” Endorsement of Ward 4 Candidate for Council: This article has 405 reads.

In A2 Insight Interview, Council Candidate Jaime Magiera Tries to Bamboozle Ward 4 Voters: This article has 2,601 reads [Ward 4 Council race]

Council Member Apologizes for Using Facebook and Twitter During Public Meetings: This article has 954 reads. [Ward 4 Council race]

Ward 5 Council Candidate David Silkworth Wants Local Government to “Put People First”: This article has 1,345 reads.

Leaked Email—Council Member Seeking Re-Election Trying to Dupe Voters?: This article has 2,121 reads. [Ward 5 Council race]

During Public Meetings, Records Show Two Council Members Spend Hours on Twitter and Facebook: This article has 1,851 reads. [Ward 5 Council race]

Three Ann Arbor Council Candidates Return Developer’s Money: This article has 1,010 reads.

A2Politico: Please Don’t Interrupt Your Councilmember While He’s Ignoring You: This article has 1,262 reads. [Op-Ed]

EDITORIAL: City Council Members Playing on Social Media During Public Hearings: This article has 1,354 reads.